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LIBHAHI 


OF 


<34^0  y 3 3 


o 


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/93 


m 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


BY 


THOMAS  VOWLER  SHORT, 

BISHOP  OF  SOBOR  AND  MAN^ 


NEW- YORK: 

STANFORD  & SWORDS,  139  BROADWAY. 

PHILADELPHIA : 

GEO.  S.  APPLETON,  146  CHESNUT  ST. 


230 

p vOw 


AND 


FORMER  PARISHIONERS. 

Our  heavenly  Father  never  bestows  a greater 
blessing  on  his  unworthy  servants,  than  when 
he  enables  us  to  become  the  instruments  of  his 
goodness  to  our  fellow  creatures. 

It  was  with  this'prospect  that  the  holy  apostles 
rejoiced  in  being  counted  worthy  to  suffer  in  the 
cause  of  Christ;  but  the  same  gracious  Power, 
which  has  allowed  me  to  hope  that  my  exertions 


IV 


DEDICATION. 


among  you  have  not  been  wholly  unproductive  of 
good,  has  crowned  his  mercy  with  an  earthly  bles- 
sing, and  instead  of  being  exposed  to  sufferings,  I 
have  met  with  nothing  but  kindness,  on  the  part 
of  those  who  were  the  objects  of  my  care. 

When  the  pastoral  connexion  between  us  was 
about  to  cease,  I received  so  many  proofs  of  affec- 
tion from  all  classes  in  Bloomsbury,  that  it  will 
be  impossible  that  I should  ever  forget  them  : and 
I trust  that  the  method  which  I have  now  taken 
to  express  my  sense  of  your  kindness,  may  not 
only  record  my  sentiments,  but  itself  prove  useful 
to  the  cause  of  our  Master. 

My  immediate  object  in  printing  these  pages,  is 
to  send  them  as  a keepsake  to  those,  from  wKose% 
hands  I have  received  kindness — not  by  way  of  a 
return,  but  to  show  them  how  much  I esteem  their 
gifts,  and  desire  that  the  memorial  of  them  may 
never  perish. 

That  which  I endeavoured  to  lay  before  you 
in  my  sermons,  is  here  dressed  in  a lighter  garb  ; 
and  if  in  this  shape  it  shall  attract  the  notice,  or 
fix  the  judgment  of  any  of  those  into  whose  hands 
it  shall  fall,  the  favour  will  be  due  to  the  good- 
ness of  God. 


DEDICATION 


Indistinctness  on  religious  subjects  is  a great 
evil,  particularly  to  the  young;  but  theological 
clearness  does  not  always  lead  to  Christain  edifi- 
cation and  practical  holiness.  It  was  my  endea- 
vour, while  I preached  among  you,  to  combine 
distinct  views  on  the  leading  tenets  of  Christianity 
with  that  earnestness,  without  which  religion  is 
apt  to  dwindle  into  a mere  name.  I tried  to  place 
before  my  hearers,  not  words  only,  but  ideas — to 
give  them  that  which  they  might  carry  home,  in 
order  to  guide  them  in  the  path  to  heaven — to 
press  on  them  the  fundamentals  of  our  holy  faith 
— and  to  point  out  how  this  faith  should  show  forth 
its  effects  in  the  daily  occurrences  of  life. 

May  the  Almighty  bestow  a blessing  on  this 
little  volume.  May  it  prove  useful  to  those  for 
whom  it  was  composed,  and  to  him  who  wrote  it : 
and  if  hereafter  it  shall  afford  instruction  or  edifica- 
tion to  any  who  knew  not  Bloomsbury,  may  they 
learn  to  thank  God  for  that  love  which  existed 
between  the  Rector  and  inhabitants  of  a large 
metropolitan  parish,  and  try  to  foster  and  support 
the  parochial  system,  which  has  proved  a blessing, 
spiritual  and  temporal,  to  many  who  needed  com- 
fort ; and  which  affords  the  best  human  organiza- 
1* 


VI 


DEDICATION. 


tion  for  diffusing  and  maintaining  that  faith  on 
which  all  our  hopes  are  built. 

That  God  may  in  everyway  bless  the  parish  of 
St.  George.  That  the  exertions  of  my  successor 
maybe  crowned  with  increasing  usefulness.  That 
the  neighbouring  parishes  may  advance  in  every 
good  word  and  work,  and  by  their  co-operation 
and  example  help  forward  the  cause  of  our  holy 
religion  in  that  district  where  I laboured,  shall  be 
the  constant  and  humble  prayer  of  one,  who  was 
once  your  Rector,  and  will  always  be  your  friend. 

THOMAS  VOWLER  SODOR  AND  MAN. 


JaUy  Isty  1843. 
Bishop’s  Court,  I.  M, 


VINCENT  L.  DILL,  STEREOTYPER, 


This  work  was  originally  printed  for  private  cir- 
culation, but  as  many  friends  have  wished  for  more 
copies  than  they  were  willing  to  receive  gratuitously, 
it  has  been  published.  May  God’s  blessing  be  on  it, 
and  its  readers. 


Bishop’s  Court,  I.  M. 
iVby.  ISth,  1843. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  PAGE 

1.  Religion 9 

n.  Peculiarities  of  Christianity 21 

III.  The  Atonement 33 

IV.  Sanctification 45 

V.  The  Freeness  of  the  Atonement 59 

VI.  The  Freeness  of  Sanctification 70 

Vn.  Sanctification  the  fruit  of  Justification 78 

Vni.  Mere  Knowledge  not  Religion 88 

IX.  The  Christian  looking  back 99 

X.  The  Christian  looking  forward 121 

XL  The  Christian  exerting  HIMSELF 145 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


Oh,  where  shall  rest  be  found, 

Rest  for  the  weary  soul  ? 

’Twere  vain  the  ocean-depths  to  sound, 
Or  pierce  to  either  pole  : 

The  world  can  never  give 
The  bliss  for  which  we  sigh ; 

’Tis  not  the  whole  of  life  to  live, 

Nor  all  of  death  to  die. 

Beyond  this  vale  of  tears. 

There  is  a life  above, 

Unmeasured  by  the  flight  of  years  ; 

And  all  that  life  is  love  : — 

There  is  a death,  whose  pang 
Outlasts  the  fleeting  breath  ; 

Oh  ! what  eternal  horrors  hang 
Around  the  “ second  death  !” 

Lord  God  of  truth  and  grace, 

Teach  us  that  death  to  shun, 

Lest  we  be  banished  from  Thy  face. 
And  evermore  undone : 

Here  would  we  end  our  quest ; 

Alone  are  found  in  Thee 

The  life  of  perfect  love — the  rest 

Of  immortality. 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


CHAPTER  I. 


In  a circle  of  friends  who  were  talking  on  the  general 
state  of  society,  particularly  with  reference  to  the 
ignorance  on  religious  subjects  which  is  prevalent  in 
England,  it  was  observed  by  an  individual,  whose 
opinion  was  well  worthy  of  attention,  That  the  great 
mass  of  those  among  whom  we  live,  do  not  know  what 
Christianity  is.”  The  position  was  not  much  con- 
troverted at  first,  for  each  of  the  hearers  made  such 
modifications  as  to  the  sense  in  which  the  observation 
was  to  be  received,  that  he  brought  it  down  within  the 
limits  of  his  own  ideas,  and  would  have  allowed,  that 
with  reference  to  certain  classes  of  society,  and  con- 
sidering the  numbers  of  which  they  consist,  the  asser- 
tion might  be  correct ; or  if  by  the  term  Christianity, 
a degree  of  strictness  of  conduct  and  firmness  of  faith 
were  implied,  such  as  was  probably  intended  by  the 
speaker,  they  would  have  agreed  that  the  position 
could  admit  of  little  or  no  doubt.  So  that  when  due 
allowance  was  made  for  the  want  of  religious  education 
among  the  lower  and  middle  orders,  and  for  the  full 
import  conveyed  by  the  term  Christianity,  almost  all 
the  party  would  have  admitted,  ‘‘  That  the  majority  of 
a Christian  community  do  not  know  what  Christianity 
is.” 

But  much  more  than  this,  was  intended  by  the 
individual  who  made  the  observation.  For  in  this 
extended  sense,  the  majority  of  the  world  among 


12 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


whom  we  live  have  no  religion  at  all.  They  are  not 
influenced,  in  what  they  do,  by  any  fixed  principles 
which  refer  to  a future  responsibility.  Practically 
they  do  not  believe  in  the  undoubted  truth,  that  we 
shall  all  hereafter  be  judged  according  as  we  have  con- 
ducted ourselves  in  this  life.  Their  minds  may  be  so 
far  convinced,  that  they  may  not  be  prepared  to  con- 
trovert the  position ; but  if  we  look  at  their  conduct 
with  reference  to  a day  of  judgment,  as  a question  of 
fact,  it  would  be  very  difficult  to  prove  that  they  did 
believe  in  a future  state.  The  observation,  however, 
here  made  did  not  refer  to  practice,  but  to  knowledge. 
It  was  not  that  the  majority  of  the  world  did  not  live 
as  Christians,  for  this  would  need  no  proof  to  him  who 
knows  what  Christianity  is ; but  that  they  did  not 
know  what  Christianity  is.  The  person  who  made 
the  observation,  did  not  mean  to  confine  it  to  the 
classes  with  whom  he  was  not  conversant,  for  he  was 
not  well  acquainted  with  the  dense  mass  of  ignorance 
and  irreligion  which  prevails  in  this  Christian  and 
enlightened  country ; but  he  meant,  that  among  those 
who,  like  himself,  had  received  a good  education,  in 
the  usual  acceptation  of  the  term,,  the  majority  had 
been  so  neglected  in  the  instruction  which  was  given 
them,  on  this  most  important  subject,  that  they  were 
never  taught  what  Christianity  is ; and  that  from 
inattention,  from  a want  of  anxiety  about  their  eternal 
safety,  they  had  gone  on,  contented  with  those  vague 
and  uncertain  notions,  which  they  had  imbibed  by  an 
intercourse  with  others,  who  were  frequently  much  in 
the  same  state  as  themselves.  A young  man  who  left 


RELIGION. 


13 


the  head  of  a public  school,  without  having  any  notion 
of  the  rules  by  which  Greek  and  Latin  verses  are 
regulated,  would  be  esteemed  very  ignorant ; but  if  he 
did  not  know  the  difference  between  the  motives 
which  influenced  a sincere  heathen,  or  which  influ- 
enced St.  Paul,  few  persons  would  complain  that  his 
education  was  imperfect. 

Maria  was,  at  sixteen,  possessed  of  most  of  the 
accomplishments  which  are  acquired  from  masters. 
Her  father  had  been  pleased  with  the  progress  which 
she  had  made  in  the  acquisition  of  music,  of  drawing, 
and  of  the  modern  languages,  and  he  had  himself 
delighted  to  lead  her  beyond  that  mechanical  know- 
ledge of  history,  which  her  governess  gave  with  much 
judgment  and  regularity,  into  the  first  principles  of 
politics  and  political  economy.  She  was  thus  prepared 
to  give  a sound  opinion  on  the  different  forms  of 
government  which  exist  in  the  world,  and  of  the 
advantages  possessed  by  each.  She  was  in  fact  much 
better  educated  than  most  young  women  of  her  age 
are.  She  had  been  accustomed  to  attend  with  regu- 
larity on  the  public  service  of  the  Church,  but  her 
parents  were  not  religious  ; she  never  heard  of  religion 
except  in  the  service  of  the  Church,  which,  in  reality, 
she  did  not  understand ; she  had  never  been  taught 
anything  about  it,  and  she  had  never  thought  on  the 
subject.  If  you  had  asked  her  what  Christianity  is, 
she  would  have  told  you,  perhaps,  that  it  was  the 
religion  of  Christians,  and  that  with  no  more  real 
knowledge  of  the  subject,  than  if  she  had  said,  that 

Hindooism  is  the  religion  of  the  Hindoos. 

2 


14 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


If  the  reader  will  here  pause,  for  one  moment,  and 
look  into  his  own  case,  and  see  how  much  he  himself 
is  able  to  answer  this  question,  he  will  perhaps  more 
fully  understand  the  real  state  of  this  young  person’s 
knowledge.  Pause  for  a few  minutes.  Write  down 
for  yourself  what  Christianity  is,  and  keep  the  defini- 
tion, which  you  yourself  would  give  of  it,  till  you  have 
read  through  these  few  pages ; and  then  see  how  far 
your  own  knowledge  of  Christianity  exceeds  that  which 
is  here  described. 

This  answer  of  Maria  seems,  at  first  sight,  so  vague 
and  uncertain,  that  it  might  be  useless  to  say  more 
concerning  it,  excepting  that  if  the  position  before 
laid  down  be  true,  the  state  of  many  of  the  readers  of 
this  book,  may  not  be  far  distant  from  her’s ; and  if 
real  instruction  is  to  be  given,  it  must  always  com- 
mence at  the  point  where  present  knowledge  ends. 
We  must  not  assume  any  greater  degree  of  knowledge 
than  is  actually  possessed.  We  must  be  content  to 
lay  the  foundations,  if  we  would  provide  for  the 
security  of  the  superstructure. 

Christianity,  then,  is  ‘‘  the  religion  of  Christians.” 
It  is  generally,  a religion and  it  is  specially,  the 
religion  of  Christians.” 

First,  then,  let  us  see  whether  we  understand  what 
is  meant  by  the  term  a religion.”  If  a traveller  were 
to  discover,  in  the  interior  of  Africa,  a civilized  people, 
who  were  conversant  with  many  of  the  common  in- 
ventions which  are  in  use  among  ourselves,  who  were 
governed  by  equitable  laws,  and  possessed  habits  and  cus- 
toms which  corresponded  with  those  of  the  inhabitants 


RELIGION. 


15 


of  Europe,  but  if  he  could  at  the  same  time  discover  no 
outward  forms  or  ceremonies  of  religion  among  them, 
he  would  hardly  conclude  that  they  were  without 
religion.  He  would  say  in  his  own  mind  there  must 
be  some  principles  from  which  all  these  good  fruits 
arise  ; and  he  would,  as  occasion  allowed  him,  endea- 
vour to  discover  the  opinions  of  the  more  enlightened 
individuals  with  whom  he  conversed,  as  to  a future 
state.  There  would,  in  his  own  ideas,  exist  a close 
connexion  between  their  belief  in  a future  state,  and 
their  religion.  Their  notions  of  responsibility  would 
depend  on  their  conviction,  that  they  should  be  here- 
after called  to  an  account  for  the  things  done  in  this 
life ; and  the  nature  of  the  responsibility, — the  prac- 
tical effect  which  it  had  in  governing  their  minds, 
would  depend  on  the  nature  of  the  tribunal  before 
which  they  expected  to  be  brought.  If  they  were  not 
assured,  that  they  should  be  tried  at  all  hereafter,  they 
would  be  careless  altogether  ; if  they  entertained  very 
loose  notions  of  the  purity  or  of  the  moral  rectitude  of 
their  future  judge,  they  would  be  more  disposed  to 
propitiate  him  as  a tyrant,  to  whose  dominion  they 
would  hereafter  be  subjected,  than  as  a judge  who 
would  pass  a righteous  sentence  on  them,  according 
to  the  deeds  done  in  the  body.  The  first  thing  then 
which  this  traveller  would  endeavour  to  ascertain, 
would  be,  the  belief  of  the  people  of  this  newly 
discovered  country ; but  he  would  never  be  satisfied 
that  this  belief  was  real,  unless  he  saw  that  it  did 
practically  influence  the  conduct  of  those  who  pro- 
fessed it.  The  mariner  who  believes  that  the  rapid 


16 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


sinking  of  the  barometer  indicates  the  approach  of  a 
violent  storm,  prepares  himself  and  his  vessel  against 
the  tempest,  which  the  altered  height  of  the  mercury 
induces  him  to  expect.  If  he  were  to  make  no  pre- 
paration, it  would  be  difficult  to  persuade  the  passengers, 
whose  safety  depended  on  his  skill  in  the  management 
of  the  ship,  that  he  really  believed  this  index  of  a 
coming  gale.  They  would  argue  that  he  could  not 
really  believe  it,  while  this  belief  induced  him  to  take 
no  measures  of  precaution.  So  if  the  traveller  in 
Africa  had  learnt  the  opinions  of  this  people  as  to  a 
future  state,  and  found  that  their  conduct  seemed  to 
correspond  with  such  a belief  as  he  had  been  told  that 
they  professed,  he  would  probably  make  no  further 
enquiries  as  to  their  religion.  He  would  say  on  his 
return,  that  they  had  no  outvv^ard  forms  of  worship, 
but  that  their  religion  was  such,  as  it  had  been 
described  to  him. 

If,  then,  it  were  again  asked,  “ What  is  religion 
we  should  probably  answer.  It  is  such  a belief  in  a 
judgment  to  be  passed  on  us  in  a future  state,  as  will 
induce  us  to  propitiate  the  power  which  is  to  judge  us. 
The  belief  is  the  religion,  and  the  reality  of  the  belief 
is  proved  by  the  effect  which  it  produces  on  our  actions 
in  this  life.  We  can  have  no  doubt  that  Abraham 
believed  the  promises  of  God,  for  he  gave  up  his  home 
and  kindred,  and  went  into  the  land  of  Canaan.  He 
believed  in  God,  even  against  the  daily  testimony  of 
his  own  senses  ; for  he  was  ready  to  slay  Isaac,  through 
whom  he  believed  also  that  not  only  his  family,  but 
that  all  nations  of  the  earth  should  be  blessed.  When 


RELIGION. 


17 


an  Englishman,  in  conversing  with  a Hindoo  devotee, 
who  was  lying  on  a bed  of  spikes,  seemed  to  doubt  the 
reality  of  his  faith,  and  to  question  the  sincerity  of  his 
devotion ; the  poor  man  merely  pointed  to  the  spikes, 
and  smiled  at  the  incredulity  of  one,  whose  eyes  could 
witness  so  clear  an  evidence  that  there  was  no  decep- 
tion. The  spectator  might  well  have  pitied  the  absur- 
dity of  such  a belief,  the  folly  of  such  a religion ; but 
he  had  no  ground  for  questioning  its  reality.  It  is 
indeed  possible  that  the  individual  so  brought  before 
his  eyes,  might  have  been  an  impostor,  but  there  can 
be  no  doubt  that  some  among  the  Hindoos,  believe 
that  such  self-inflictions  are  acceptable  to  their  gods. 

Looking  then  at  religion  in  this  sense,  may  we  con- 
clude that  the  majority  among  ourselves  are  without  a 
knowledge  of  religion.^  Certainly  not.  It  would  be 
difiicult  to  find  any  one  who  was  not  influenced  by 
some  sense  of  religion.  Every  one  has  some  religion 
of  his  own — sometimes  it  may  be  Christianity,  more 
frequently  a modification  of  Christianity,  and  sometimes 
the  religious  opinions  prevalent  among  us  are  very  ab- 
surd; but  almost  every  one  has  some  sense  of  religion. 
If  it  be  asked  whether  they  act  up  to  it,  it  might  be 
safely  stated  that  no  one  acts  up  to  his  sense  of  religion. 
Some  of  us  are  more  glaringly  inconsistent  than  others, 
but  every  one  has  an  idea  of  a right  and  wrong,  with 
reference  to  a future  state,  and  every  one  acts  below 
that  notion, — below  that  standard.  Every  one  who 
will  honestly  look  into  his  own  heart  is  self-condemned. 
There  are  fifty  different  standards  of  morality  by  which 

mankind  regulate  their  own  conduct,  and  by  which  they 
2^ 


18 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


estimate  that  of  their  neighbours.  We  may  be  told 
that  a soldier  ought  to  fight  a duel,  though  it  would  be 
infamous  in  a clergyman  to  think  of  it.  That  a lawyer 
may  do  so  or  not,  according  to  his  sense  of  religion  ; 
and  that,  if  he  has  courage  enough  to  refuse  a chal- 
lenge, he  must  have  courage  enough  also  to  be  contented 
when  he  is  called  a coward.  Aspasio  one  day  requested 
an  acquaintance,  with  whom  he  was  sometimes  in  the 
habit  of  pla3dng  for  high  stakes,  to  pay  him  fiftj"  pounds, 
which  had  been  for  some  time  due,  as  a debt  of  honour. 
I beg  3'our  pardon,  said  the  friend,  for  not  having  dis- 
charged the  debt  sooner ; but  I do  assure  you  that  I have 
not  the  most  remote  idea  that  I owe  you  any  thing : in 
order  to  prevent  any  unpleasant  discussion,  the  question 
was  referred  to  a third  party,  and  the  statement  of 
Aspasio  was  as  follows.  On  the  day  in  question  we 
were  both  invited  to  dine  with  a common  friend,  and 
as  I knew  that  there  would  be  much  conviviality  as 
well  as  high  play  in  the  evening,  I declined  dining, 
because  after  drinking  much  wine,  I can  never  trust 
myself  at  cards ; when  I came  in  during  the  evening, 
I found  the  party  engaged  in  play,  and  the  sum  in 
question  was  a private  bet  between  us,  on  the  odd  trick. 
I cannot  be  mistaken,  for  I had  purposely  kept  myself 
sober,  and  the  others  had  been  drinking  a great  deal 
of  wine.  I am  sure  they  had,  from  the  state  in  which 
I found  them,  and  from  what  I know  to  be  the  habit 
of  the  house.  Upon  this  statement,  the  umpire  decided 
the  bet  in  favour  of  Aspasio,  and  Aspasio,  after  having 
accepted  the  money,  was  still  received  in  society.  Had 
he  attempted  to  place  a card  as  he  shuffled  it,  he  would 
have  been  esteemed  as  little  better  than  a thief.  Yet 


RELIGION. 


19 


most  right-minded  men  would  rather  have  their  friend 
rob  on  the  highway,  than  do  what  Aspasio  did.  This 
is  the  standard  of  a gambler ; and  yet  there  are  few 
men  who  have  played  highl}",  who  would  be  prepared 
to  lay  open  all  the  secrets  of  their  gambling  transactions, 
even  to  one  who  would  judge  them  on  these  principles. 
However  low  a man’s  standard  is,  still  he  sometimes 
acts  below  his  own  low  standard  ; but  there  is  always 
some  lower  depth  of  guilt,  from  which  he  turns  away 
in  abhorrence,  or  on  which  he  feels  sure  that  divine 
vengeance  will  hereafter  fall.  However  degraded  his 
own  ideas  of  morality  may  be,  still  there  is  some  clear 
reference  to  God — there  is  something  which  God  must 
and  will  punish.  Such  persons  have  an  idea  of  religion, 
however  vague  and  uncertain ; and  generally  the  idea 
which  they  entertain  is  in  some  measure  correct. 
Whatever  their  personal  conduct  may  be,  they  have  a 
sufficiently  clear  knowledge  of  what  is  right  and  wrong 
in  the  conduct  of  others.  If  Aspasio  had  possessed  a 
large  estate  in  Ireland,  he  might  have  neglected  every 
duty  which  the  possession  of  such  a trust  entailed  on 
him,  and  never  have  resided  on  it,  or  endeavoured  to 
improve  the  condition  of  his  tenantry ; but  he  would 
have  decided  very  properly,  that  every  clergyman  ought 
to  be  forced  to  reside  on  his  living,  and  do  his  duty 
there : he  might  thence  have  argued  against  all  plurali- 
ties, and  have  expressed  his  astonishment,  that  any 
man  could  think  of  taking  orders  for  the  sake  of  worldly 
profit.  All  this  would  prove  that  Aspasio  knew  what 
religion  was.  In  the  instance  of  another,  he  would  be 
able  to  see  the  devotion  which  ought  to  flow  from  the 
belief  that  we  shall  hereafter  be  called  to  a strict 


20 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


account ; from  that  devotion  he  would  himself  beg  to 
be  excused ; but  he  would  see  the  necessity  of  it  in 
those  who  wish  to  act  consistently  with  their  belief  in 
a day  of  judgment ; he  would  see  around  him,  perhaps, 
many  false  and  absurd  species  of  devotion — but  he 
would  see,  too,  that  no  absurdity  in  devotion  is  half  so 
absurd  as  indifference  whether  we  do  or  do  not  please 
God.  If  there  be  a Deity,  and  if  hereafter  we  are  to 
be  judged  by  that  Deity,  and  if  our  eternal  state  is  to 
depend  on  that  judgment ; — then  a whole  life  devoted 
to  the  service  of  that  Being,  must  be  the  real  work  of 
man, — the  real  employment  which  ought  to  absorb 
every  faculty  of  the  creature.  Men  may  doubt  whether 
certain  species  of  devotion  will  be  acceptable  to  God — 
whether  God  has  commanded  such  and  such  things ; 
but  if  we  are  convinced  that  God  has  enjoined  this  or 
that  line  of  conduct,  it  is  absurd  for  any  man  to  talk  of 
believing  in  God,  when  he  lives  in  total  opposition  to 
these  revealed  and  acknowledged  commands,  or  neglects 
that  on  which  his  salvation  depends.  Now  every  one 
who  can  see  this,  does  know  what  religion  is  ; he  may 
not  know  what  Christianity  is,  but  the  light  of  nature 
has  taught  him,  that  religion  cannot  be  less  than  an 
entire  wish  to  please  that  God,  before  whose  judgment- 
seat  we  shall  hereafter  answer,  for  the  manner  in  which 
we  have  passed  our  lives. 

Lord  of  all  power  and  might,  who  art  the  author 
and  giver  of  all  good  things ; graft  in  our  hearts  the 
love  of  thy  Name,  increase  in  us  true  religion,  nourish 
us  with  all  goodness,  and  of  thy  great  mercy  keep  us 
in  the  same,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  Amen. 


THE 


THE  PECULIARITIES  OF  CHRISTMITY. 


Father  of  all ! whose  wondrous  grace 
Moved  Thee  to  save  our  guilty  race ; 
Before  Thy  throne  we  sinners  bend ; 
To  us  Thy  pard’ning  love  extend. 

Almighty  Son  ! Incarnate  Word  ! 

Our  Prophet,  Priest,  Redeemer,  Lord, 
Before  Thy  throne  we  sinners  bend  ; 
To  us  Thy  saving  grace  extend. 

Eternal  Spirit ! by  whose  breath 
The  soul  is  raised  from  sin  and  death ; 
Before  Thy  throne  we  sinners  bend ; 
To  us  Th}’^  quick’ning  power  extend. 

Jehovah  ! Father,  Spirit,  Son, 
Mysterious  Godhead  ! Three  in  One  ! 
Before  Thy  throne  we  sinners  bend ; 
Grace,  pardon,  life,  to  all  extend. 


THE 


PECULIARITIES  OP  CHRISTIANITY. 


CHAPTER  11. 


If  then  we  regard  this  question,  at  the  point  at  which 
we  have  at  present  arrived,  it  may  be  asked  whether 
we  have  advanced  much  in  the  real  knowledge  of  what 
Christianity  is  : for  according  to  what  has  been  already 
stated,  it  would  appear  that  the  Hindoo,  who  had 
placed  himself  on  a bed  of  spikes,  was  much  more 
influenced  by  religion,  than  the  great  mass  of  those 
Christians  of  whose  sincerity  we  are  enabled  to  form  a 
judgment  by  observing  their  usual  manner  of  life.  No 
doubt  he  exhibits  much  more  devotion  than  many 
sincere  Christians  ; his  misfortune  is,  that  his  devotion 
is  of  so  mistaken  a character ; he  may  be  sincere,  but 
he  has  failed  to  use  that  light  of  reason  with  which 
God  has  provided  him  for  his  guidance  ; yet  who  can 
say  that  he  may  not  rise  up  in  judgment  against  many 
among  ourselves  ? 

An  old  lady,  who  was  in  the  habit  of  keeping  a 
strict  account  of  her  own  conduct,  acknowledged  to  a 
clerg3"man  of  her  acquaintance,  that  she  never  looked 
over  her  diary  without  finding  a long  catalogue  of  such 
proceedings  as  she  could  not  but  lament.  That  she 
never  balanced  her  spiritual  accounts,  without  finding 
the  balance  greatly  on  the  debtor  side.  Ido  not  wonder 
at  it,  said  the  clergyman ; but  when  you  find  it  so, 
what  do  you  do  ? Oh,  said  the  lady,  I read  a certain 


24 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


number  of  sermons.  It  is  obvious,  from  the  answer 
of  this  old  lady,  that  reading  sermons  was  to  her  an 
operation  of  the  same  character  as  the  lying  on  spikes 
was  to  the  poor  Hindoo.  It  does  not  seem  likely  that 
she  anticipated  that  any  great  spiritual  good  would  be 
produced  on  her  own  mind  by  the  contents  of  what 
she  read ; but  she  thought  it  right  to  read  sermons,  and 
knew  that  the  doing  so  was  an  act  of  self-denial  to 
her,  and  she  denied  herself,  and  did  it,  because  in  some 
other  point  she  had  given  way  to  her  own  wishes,  and 
had  done  wrong.  The  Hindoo  expected  to  be  exalted 
in  a future  state,  by  the  sufferings  which  he  had 
voluntarily  imposed  on  himself  in  this — the  lady  in- 
tended to  punish  herself  by  doing  that  which  she 
disliked ; she  hoped  to  gain  a sort  of  pardon  by  her 
self-inflicted  severity.  The  principle  which  influenced 
these  persons  is  not  very  different.  It  may,  however, 
be  questioned,  whether  we  can  be  sure  that  what  this 
lady  did  was  unchristian,  merely  because  the  same  sort 
of  thing  might  be  done  by  a Hindoo  ? and  a prudent 
Christian  might  be  unwilling  hastily  to  give  a decided 
answer,  for  there  are  many  duties  which  are  common 
to  all  religions  ; but  if  the  act  were  unreasonable  in  a 
Hindoo,  the  same  sort  of  act  must  be  unreasonable  in 
a Christian,  and,  at  all  events,  the  proceeding  was  not 
such  as  would  characterize  it  as  Christian,  and  what 
we  are  now  seeking  for  is,  to  ascertain  that  which 
distinguishes  Christianity. 

When  Theodore,  who  was  a well-educated  young 
man,  was  asked  this  question.  What  is  Christianity  ? 
he  fearlessly  answered,  that  the  difference  between 


PECULIARITIES  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


25 


Christianity  and  all  other  religions  was,  that  Christianity 
taught  ^‘the  forgiveness  of  injuries;”  and  when  the 
individual  who  asked  him  seemed  dissatisfied  with  the 
reply,  he  maintained  that  heathen  moralists  had  never 
directed  their  followers  to  forgive  injuries.  Theodore 
had  taken  up  this  idea  from  others,  who  ought  to  have 
known  better ; but  the  mistake  is  a very  natural  one 
to  a person  who  had  no  very  definite  ideas  on  such 
subjects.  He  did  not  know  that  almost  every  heathen 
moralist  has  recommended  the  forgiveness  of  injuries  ; 
that  there  is  hardly  an}^  writer  on  such  subjects  who 
has  not  seen  how  much  more  noble  it  is  to  pardon 
than  to  revenge  an  injury — how  great  a superiority  it 
implies  in  those  who  can  thus  act  towards  an  offender  ; 
but  heathen  moralists  have  never  taught  men  to  forgive 
on  Christian  principles — How  could  they  ? They  have 
never  taught  men  to  forgive  because  we  have  been 
forgiven — to  show  that  mercy  to  others  of  which  we 
ourselves  have  been  made  partakers.  This,  of  course, 
is  peculiar  to  Christianity.  This  flows  from  the  doctrine 
of  the  atonement,  and  can  flow  from  nothing  else. 

No  man  ever  exercised  the  virtue  of  forgiving  more 
admirably  than  Socrates  did  towards  his  judges ; but 
Theodore  would  see  that  this  fact  was  so  far  from 
proving  that  Socrates  was  a Christian,  that  it  did  not 
even  prove  that  Socrates  had  any  knowledge  or  idea 
of  the  leading  doctrines  of  Christianity.  He  probably 
felt  his  own  need  of  pardon,  and  the  weakness  of  man 
without  some  guidance  from  above  ; but  to  feel  the 
want  of  some  revelation  from  God,  is  very  far  from 

believing  that  which  God  has  revealed.  We  may 
3 


26 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


admire  Socrates,  and  pray  that  he  may  never  rise  up 
against  us  in  judgment,  and  condemn  us  for  not  having 
made  better  use  of  that  which  God  has  made  known  to 
us,  and  which  was  hid  from  him  ; but  woe  unto  us,  if 
we  cannot  from  our  hearts  thank  God,  for  revealing 
that  unto  us,  which  was  never  made  known  to  Socrates. 

A Hindoo  who  was  converted  to  Christianity  express- 
ed himself  in  something  of  the  following  manner.  In 
early  life  I exercised  myself  in  the  superstitions  of  my 
own  creed,  but  was  never  satisfied  with  that  which  my 
teachers  directed  me  to  perform.  I could  not  help 
perceiving  that  the  God  of  the  universe  could  not  be 
gratified  by  the  absurd  species  of  devotion  by  which  I 
was  directed  to  endeavour  to  obtain  his  favour.  My 
own  moral  sense  told  me  that  I had  done  evil,  and  how 
could  that  evil  be  wiped  off  by  irrational,  degrading, 
and  cruel  rites  ? I saw  that  I was  wrong,  but  I knew 
not  where  to  fly.  I was  convinced  of  my  own  guilt, 
but  I loathed  the  expiations  to  which  I was  directed  to 
apply  in  order  to  obtain  relief.  The  Mahometan  to 
whom  I applied  told  me  that  God  was  pure  and  bene- 
ficent, and  that  if  I would  draw  nigh  to  the  God  whom 
he  worshipped,  I must  make  myself  holy  and  be 
bountiful  to  my  poorer  fellow  creatures.  All  this  was 
rational — I saw  the  truth  of  his  positions,  but  my 
newly-acquired  knowledge  gave  me  no  comfort.  No 
doubt  holiness  would  please  a holy  God — but  I was 
not  holy.  No  doubt  acts  of  kindness  and  justice  per- 
formed towards  men,  would  please  a Diety  who  must 
approve  of  those  virtues  which  shine  forth  so  brightly 
in  Himself — but  how  was  I benefited  by  this  ? I was 


PECULIARITIES  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


27 


not  holy  towards  my  God — I had  not  conferred  any 
benefits  on  my  fellow  men,  so  that  the  more  pure  and 
just  the  God  of  the  Mahometans  should  prove,  the  less 
hopes  had  I of  being  able  to  endure  his  judgment — I 
saw  that  there  was  reason  and  truth  in  their  religion, 
but  this  only  tended  to  alarm  my  fears,  and  to  cut  me 
off  from  hopes  of  safety.  But  when  I listened  to  a 
Christian  teacher,  he  told  me  of  Jesus,  the  son  of 
Mary,  who  had  come  down  from  his  Father  in  Heaven 
to  die  for  sinners.  This  was  what  I needed.  The 
God  of  the  Christian  hated  the  sin,  but  he  spared  the 
sinner,  and  I fled  to  Jesus  and  found  peace.  This 
man  found  that  in  Christianity  which  is  not  in  any 
other  religion.  Mahometanism  is  vastly  superior  to 
heathenism,  for  it  is  partly  true,  being  borrowed  from 
revelation,  and  it  connects  moral  conduct  with  religious 
duty  ; but  its  rules  are  many  of  them  loose  and  defec- 
tive, and  there  is  no  offer  of  reconcilation  to  the 
sinner.  Many  systems  of  religion  enjoin  sacrificial 
expiations ; but  man’s  reason  tells  him  that  the  blood 
of  bulls  and  of  goats  cannot  wash  away  sin.  The  Jew 
obeyed  the  law  of  God  with  regard  to  sacrifices  for  sin 
— ^he  trusted  in  the  declared  mercy  of  God  ; but  till  the 
only  Son  of  God  died  on  the  cross,  the  Jew  could  not 
have  possessed  that  ground  for  confidence  with  which 
the  Christian  looks  up  to  his  Redeemer.  As  the 
Israelite  in  the  wilderness,  when  bitten  by  the  serpent, 
looked  up  to  the  brazen  serpent  as  the  means  of  his 
cure,  so  the  Christian  looks  to  Christ  crucified,  as  the 
means  by  which  he  is  reconciled  to  God.  The  reading 
sermons  might  be  a very  effectual  means  of  improving 


28 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


her  who  engaged  in  it ; but  when  she  entered  on  the 
task  because  she  found  that  she  was  in  debt  to  her 
God,  if  we  may  use  the  expression,  no  one  can  avoid 
suspecting  that  the  object  was  a wrong  one — it  looks 
precisely  as  if  she  esteemed  it  a means  of  reconciliation 
with  God.  Every  species  of  self-denial  is  useful  in 
itself.  It  will  render  those  who  practise  it  more  able 
to  govern  themselves.  It  may  become  a very  import- 
ant instrument  by  which  we  may  correct  evil  habits  in 
ourselves.  But  if  we  are  in  debt  to  God,  it  cannot 
wipe  off  the  debt — if  we  are  condemned,  it  cannot  free 
us  from  our  guilt.  There  must  be  something  else  to 
do  this.  It  was  this  that  the  penitent  Hindoo  sought 
for  in  vain  in  the  Mahometan  creed. 

There  is  another  doctrine,  not  perhaps  so  exclusive- 
ly characteristic  of  Christianity,  as  the  doctrine  of  the 
atonement,  but  equally  important,  and  often  more 
neglected  than  Redemption  itself.  All  who  have  taken 
even  a cursory  view  of  Religion,  or  who  have  been 
enabled  to  see  it  exercised  in  sincerity  and  truth,  must 
have  been  led  to  observe  the  estimation  in  which 
holiness  is  held,  even  by  those  who  are  not  holy  them- 
selves. When  Hyder  Ali  invaded  the  Carnatic,  he 
gave  orders  to  his  officers  to  permit  the  venerable 
Swartz  to  pass  unmolested,  and  to  show  him  respect 
and  kindness,  for,  said  he,  he  is  ^‘a  holy  man.”  And 
though  many  of  the  rites  connected  with  heathen 
worship  seemed  framed  for  the  very  destruction  of  all 
holiness,  ;5^et  the  more  enlightened  part  of  every  heathen 
nation  appear  to  have  always  esteemed  those  who  were 
holy,  as  peculiarly  acceptable  to  the  gods.  The  same 


PECULIARITIES  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


29 


feature  may  be  discovered  among  ourselves.  The 
worst  among  us  pay  a willing  tribute  to  unpretending 
holiness.  Therefore  in  a general  sense,  all  religion  is 
more  or  less  connected  with  the  pursuit  of  holiness. 
The  pursuit  of  it  however  is  carried  on  very  variously 
by  different  classes  of  persons,  and  sometimes  with 
no  great  prospect  of  obtaining  it.  It  may  also  be 
remarked,  that  the  re-establishment  of  holiness  is  closely 
connected  with  the  obtaining  of  reconciliation  and  par- 
don. In  many  cases  it  seems  to  be  almost  the  same 
thing.  The  offended  father  would  gladly  re-admit  his 
banished  child  to  reconciliation  and  to  forgiveness, 
if  he  were  convinced  that  the  prodigal  were  reformed. 
We  identify  the  reformation  of  the  child  with  the 
relenting  of  the  father,  but  there  is  no  such  necessary 
connexion,  and  it  will  frequently  confuse  our  reasoning 
if  we  do  not  endeavour  to  keep  that  which  is  separate 
in  the  nature  of  things,  separate  also  in  our  arguing 
about  it.  The  favourite  son  of  a king  had  been 
engaged  in  a rebellion  against  his  father’s  throne,  and 
was  banished  for  life,  he  had  repented  and  was  entirely 
reformed,  his  loving  father  wished  to  receive  him  back 
to  his  arms,  but  he  dared  not.  The  seeds  of  the 
rebellion  were  still  latent,  and  might  have  broken  out, 
had  the  original  author  of  the  evil  been  brought  before 
the  eyes  of  those  who  had  once  engaged  in  it ; but  if 
the  spirit  of  rebellion  had  been  subdued  and  destroyed, 
the  offender,  even  if  unreformed,  might  have  obtained 
a pardon  from  the  affection  of  the  father.  These  two 
cases  correspond  only  partially,  for  external  circum- 
stances create  a difference  which  must  influence  the 
3* 


30 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


result.  And  who  can  pretend  to  judge  of  that  variety 
of  connecting  links,  which  can  be  known  to  God  alone, 
and  without  a full  knowledge  of  which  it  would  be 
impossible  to  form  a correct  judgment  ? Even  in  this 
world,  we  all  see  that  reformation  in  the  guilty  will 
not  restore  them  to  the  advantages  which  they  have 
lost.  The  discarded  workman  may  be  entirely  reform- 
ed, but  he  can  hardly  expect  to  recover  a good  situa- 
tion, of  which  his  ill  conduct  has  deprived  him. 

According  to  those  general  ideas  which  we  derive 
indirectly  from  revelation,  it  would  seem  that  religion 
must  have  a tendency  to  sanctify  ; but  if  we  examine 
facts  we  shall  discover  that  this  is  not  the  case.  The 
religion  of  Greece  and  Rome  had  practically  no  such 
tendency,  though  the  philosopher  might  have  seen  the 
necessary  connexion  between  holiness  and  religion. 
And  the  same  observation  may  probably  be  applied  to 
every  form  of  heathenism.  It  is  not  however  in  the 
mere  seeking  for  holiness  that  Christianity  differs  from 
every  other  religion,  but  in  the  manner  in  which 
sanctification  is  to  be  sought.  The  Hindoo  seeks,  by 
voluntary  self  inflictions,  for  a holiness  of  his  own, 
which  is  compatible  with  a very  degraded  state  of 
personal  and  mental  corruption. 

The  European  heathen  of  ancient  days,  sought  the 
holiness  which  he  admired  through  habits  of  self- 
control.  He  found  indeed  the  inadequacy  of  the 
means  to  the  end,  and  gave  way  again  and  again  to 
his  own  weakness,  and  to  the  wickedness  of  his  heart ; 
but  there  was  nothing  unreasonable  in  his  proceedings. 
In  heathen  moral  philosophy  there  was  much  to  assist 


PECULIARITIES  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


31 


the  virtuous,  but  there  was  little  to  influence  the  mass, 
and  there  was  nothing  to  reclaim  the  vicious ; and 
each  man  who  employed  these  means  found  an  under- 
current of  evil  passions,  which  prevented  him  from 
being  able  to  shape  his  course  as  his  bare  reason 
would  have  directed  him  to  do.  Christianity  bids  us 
seek  that  from  God  which  we  cannot  provide  for  our- 
selves. She  tells  us  that  God  must  work  in  us  both 
to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure.”  It  is  not 
that  she  would  prevent  us  from  using  any  of  those 
means  which  reason  or  philosophy  would  dictate  to 
the  heathen,  but  she  would  forbid  us  to  trust  in  them. 
It  is  not  that  she  would  bid  us  make  no  exertions  of 
our  own,  but  she  would  direct  us  to  rest  the  hope  of 
our  success  on  the  aid  which  Heaven  would  provide 
for  us.  She  would  tell  us  that  the  Almighty  who  was 
reconciled  to  us  through  the  sacrifice  of  his  beloved 
Son,  would  work  in  us  such  a state  of  holiness  as 
would  fit  us  for  the  presence  of  our  God  hereafter. 
These  are  the  two  doctrines  which  distinguish  Chris- 
tianitj’^  from  every  other  religion  in  the  world.  And 
the  religion  of  those  who  believe  that  Christ  died  for 
us,  and  that  the  Holy  Ghost  sanctifieth  those  that  come 
unto  Christ,  is  Christianity. 

It  was  not  that  Maria  had  never  learnt  that  part  of 
the  Church  Catechism  which  answers  to  the  question. 
What  dost  thou  chiefly  learn  by  these  articles  of  thy 
belief.'^  She  would  have  told  you — First,  I learn  to 
believe  in  God  the  Father  who  made  me  and  all  the 
world ; secondly,  in  God  the  Son  who  hath  redeemed 
me  and  all  mankind,  and  thirdly,  in  God  the  Holy 


32 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


Ghost  who  sanctifieth  me  and  all  the  elect  people  of 
God — but  she  had  never  thought  much  about  the 
question.  It  was  not  that  she  had  never  uttered  with 
devotional  feelings  that  supplication  to  the  holy  Trinity 
with  which  the  Litany  commences.  She  had  then 
addressed  herself  to  God  the  Father,  to  God  the  Son, 
and  to  God  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  she  had  never  thought 
why  she  had  done  so  ; and  if  she  had  been  asked  what 
was  the  peculiar  meaning  of  the  threefold  entreaty 
contained  in  the  minor  Litany,  ^^Lord  have  mercy 
upon  us,”  “ Christ  have  mercy  upon  us,”  “ Lord  have 
mercy  upon  us,”  she  would  hardly  have  known  why 
the  Lord  have  mercy  upon  us”  should  be  repeated. 
She  would  have  pitied  the  misguided  Hindoo — she 
would  have  smiled  at  the  old  lady  who  read  sermons, 
and  perhaps  if  she  had  read  this  chapter  she  might 
have  blushed  at  her  own  ignorance  of  Christianity. 


O God,  the  King  of  Glory,  who  hast  exalted  thine 
only  Son  Jesus  Christ  with  great  triumph  unto  thy 
kingdom  in  heaven ; we  beseech  Thee,  leave  us  not 
comfortless ; but  send  us  to  thine  Holy  Ghost  to  com- 
fort us,  and  exalt  us  unto  the  same  place  whither  our 
Saviour  Christ  is  gone  before ; who  liveth  and  reign- 
eth  with  Thee  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  one  God,  world 
without  end.  Amen. 


THE 


DOCTRINE  OF  THE  ATONEMENT. 


There  is  a fountain  filled  with  blood, 
Drawn  from  Immanuel’s  veins  ! 

And  sinners,  plunged  beneath  that  flood. 
Lose  all  their  guilty  stains. 

The  dying  thief  rejoiced  to  see 
That  fountain  in  his  day ; 

And  there  may  I,  as  vile  as  he. 

Wash  all  my  sins  away. 

Dear  dying  Lamb  ! Thy  precious  blood 
Shall  never  lose  its  power. 

Till  all  the  ransomed  Church  of  God, 

Be  saved,  to  sin  no  more. 


THE 


DOCTRINE  OF  THE  ATONEMENT. 


CHAPTER  III. 


Since  then  we  have  arrived  so  far  on  our  way,  as  to 
have  ascertained  the  definition  of  Christianity,  and  to 
have  learnt  that  the  distinguishing  characteristics  of  it 
are,  a belief  in  the  Atonement  and  in  Sanctification,  it 
shall  be  the  object  of  this  and  the  following  chapter,  to 
explain  these  two  most  important  doctrines ; and  for 
the  present  we  will  confine  ourselves  to  the  former, 
and  ask  what  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Atonement. 

What  is  Justification  ^ It  is  the  being  accounted 
righteous  in  the  sight  of  God — the  being  reckoned 
righteous,  when  we  are  not  righteous.  He  alone  can 
be  esteemed  really  righteous,  who  has  fully  performed 
every  commandment  of  God : a case  which  will  apply 
to  none  of  the  sons  of  men.  But  they  who  are  not 
righteous,  are  treated  by  God  as  if  they  were  righteous. 
They  are  pardoned.  Our  heavenly  Father  accepts 
those  who  are  guilty,  and  who  are  aware  of  their  guilt, 
as  if  they  were  not  guilty  in  his  eyes.  He  says  unto 
us,  Thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee.”  Our  transgressions 
are  spoken  of  as  ‘‘  blotted  out,”  as  not  imputed  unto 
us,”  and  this  for  the  sake  of  Him  who  died  for  us.  It 
is  not  the  being  made  righteous,  but  the  being  accounted 
righteous.  David,  when  he  had  sinned,  was  forgiven. 
The  prophet  said  unto  him,  The  Lord  hath  put  away 
thy  sin  ;”  but  the  sin,  the  guilt  of  having  broken  God’s 


36 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


commandments,  remained,  and  must  remain.  You  and 
I,  dear  reader,  have  done  that  which  must  render  us 
offenders  in  the  sight  of  the  Most  High.  We  know 
not  the  extent,  or  the  nature,  of  each  other’s  sins,  but 
we  feel  sure  that  both  have  sinned.  Now  if  we  attempt 
• to  conceal  our  sin  from  God,  we  should  act  with  no 
more  wisdom  than  Adam  displayed,  when  he  endea- 
voured to  hide  himself  among  the  trees  of  the  garden. 
Thou  hast  sinned.  Give  glory  to  God,  and  confess 
thy  sin.  We  are  guilty.  We  cannot  be  made  inno- 
cent ; but  the  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth  may  deal  with 
us  in  mercy,  as  if  we  were  innocent.  We  are  debtors, 
and  we  have  nothing  to  pay.  Oh  may  He,  of  his 
goodness,  freely  forgive  us  all  that  debt.  The  debt 
may  be  paid  by  another  ; but  we  owe  it,  and  we  have 
nothing  to  pay. 

It  may  be  wise,  before  we  proceed  further,  to  point 
out  the  difference  between  these  two  doctrines,  and  to 
observe  that  Justification  is  not  the  same  as  Sanctifica- 
tion. Our  being  made  holy,  is  doubtless  necessary  to 
our  being  received  into  heaven — Without  holiness 
no  man  shall  see  the  Lord.”  The  being  made  holy  is 
the  consequence  of  being  forgiven — the  fruit  of  it. 
Justification  is  what  Christ  hath  done  for  us.  God 
counts  us  righteous  for  Christ’s  sake.  Sanctification  is 
what  God  works  iu  usj  by  his  Holy  Spirit. 

There  are  two  effects  of  sin  ; sin  makes  us  guilty 
in  the  sight  of  God,  and  when  God  pardons  us,  and 
receives  us,  as  though  we  were  not  guilty,  we  are  justi- 
fied. Sin  makes  our  own  hearts  unholy  and  defiled, 
unfit  for  the  presence  of  t]ie  Lord,  and  indisposed  and 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


37 


unwilling  to  do  the  work  of  the  Lord.  It  makes  us 
unable  to  draw  nigh  unto  God,  in  prayer.  It  turns 
away  our  hearts  from  God — from  religion.  God  works 
a change  in  our  hearts.  He  brings  us  back  to  holi- 
ness, through  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  He 
turns  our  souls  from  evil  to  good.  This  is  Sanctifica- 
tion. And  though  these  two  operations  of  God’s 
mercy  are  closely  joined  together ; though  the  heart 
of  him  who  is  justified  by  our  Saviour,  is  at  the  same 
time,  or  gradually  and  progressively,  sanctified  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  yet  it  will  rather  lead  to  indistinctness 
than  clearness,  in  our  views  of  Christianity,  to  con- 
found the  two  together,  and  not  to  distinguish  between 
that  which  is  the  antecedent  and  that  which  is  the 
consequence. 

Justification  is  the  being  accounted  righteous  in  the 
sight  of  God.  David  felt  himself  pardoned,  when 
Nathan  said  unto  him,  The  Lord  hath  put  away  thy 
sin but  many  earthly  punishments  attended  the 
king  during  the  remainder  of  his  life,  each  of  which 
was  destined  to  make  his  heart  more  holy,  and  to 
sanctify  him.  He  was  originally  pardoned  by  a free 
act  of  God’s  mercy  extended  to  him.  The  subsequent 
inflictions  were  probably  meant  to  produce  his  refor- 
mation : to  bring  him  personally  back  to  that  state, 
from  which  he  had  by  transgression  fallen,  to  that 
state  of  heart — to  that  temper  of  mind  which  had  been 
destroyed  by  his  breaking  God’s  commandments.  A 
son  has  been  detected  in  dishonesty  towards  an  in- 
dulgent father,  and  his  ill  conduct  has  arisen  from 
habits  of  intemperance,  into  which  he  has  fallen ; he 


38 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


confesses  his  fault,  and  the  father  forgives  him  at  once. 
He  forgives  him  because  he  loves  him,  and  tells  him 
that  he  is  forgiven,  because  he  esteems  the  declaration 
of  his  forgiveness  to  be  the  best  means  of  reforming 
him  ; but  the  father  must  watch  the  son,  to  prevent  his 
falling  again  into  those  habits  which  have  occasioned 
the  offence,  and  in  order  to  re-establish  and  reproduce 
such  a spirit  of  temperance  and  honesty,  as  is  necessary 
to  render  him  trustworthy.  Here  the  forgiveness  is 
separate  from  the  reform.  The  son,  if  he  were  not 
forgiven,  would  have  much  less  inducement  to  desire 
the  favour  of  his  father  ; and  the  father  may  fear  lest 
an  injudicious  lenity  on  his  part,  should  retard  the 
reformation  of  the  son,  or  obstruct  it  altogether. 

As,  therefore,  an  earthly  father  might  doubt  the 
expediency  of  forgiving  the  offending  son,  so  it  may  be 
asked,  whether  God  does  offer  pardon  to  all,  through 
Jesus  Christ.^  I will  quote  one  text:  If  any  man 
sin,  we  have  an  advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ 
the  righteous,  and  he  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins, 
and  not  for  ours  only,  but  also  for  the  sins  of  the  whole 
world.”  Are  all  men,  then,  justified  thereby  — are  all 
men  justified  ^ The  great  majority  of  the  world,  of 
those  who  have  been  admitted  into  Christ’s  family  by 
baptism,  are  living  in  such  a state,  as  leaves  us  in  no 
doubt,  that  all  such  persi^ns  are  not  justified ; but  still 
this  fact  does  not  prove  that  the  means  of  justification 
have  not  been,  and  are  not  still,  offered  to  them  all. 
After  a great  rebellion,  a free  pardon  is  offered  to  all 
who  will  sue  for  it,  under  a certain  form.  Are  all  the 
rebels  thereby  pardoned  } They  who  submit,  and  sue 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


39 


for  the  pardon  in  the  right  form,  are  pardoned.  The 
pardon  is  free,  but  not  unconditional.  It  is  free,  and 
yet  there  are  many  individuals  who  will  be  excluded 
from  it,  and  whose  exclusion  does  by  no  means  take 
off  from  the  freeness  of  the  pardon.  The  children  of 
a father,  who  loves  them  tenderly,  have  offended  him, 
and  are  thereby  alienated  from  him ; he  is  anxious  to 
be  reconciled  to  them,  and  ready  to  forgive.  Upon  the 
intercession  of  a friend,  he  states  most  clearly  his  feel- 
ings with  regard  to  them : he  wishes  to  forgive  them 
— ^he  wishes  to  reinstate  them  in  their  former  position  ; 
he  is  not  anxious  to  prescribe  any  conditions,  but  he 
adds,  “ I cannot  forgive  them  unless  they  are  sorry  for 
their  conduct,  and  wish  to  be  pardoned.  I am  more 
grieved  than  they  are,  for  I foresee  the  bitter  conse- 
quences of  their  behaviour — I see  that  it  must,  if  per- 
sisted in,  ruin  all  their  prospects  in  life  ; but  they  must 
learn  to  trust  and  to  obey  me,  or  I cannot  do  them  the 
good  which  I earnestly  desire  to  do  them.”  Who  then 
are  the  subjects  who  are  pardoned  ? Which  are  the 
children  who  are  reconciled  to  their  offended  father  ? 
They  are  such  as  will  sue  for  the  pardon.  They  are 
such  as  will  return  to  the  father.  Our  Saviour  says, 
Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  travail  and  are  heavy 
laden.”  His  apostle  said,  ‘‘  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved.”*  We  must  therefore 
come  unto  Christ,  trusting  that  he  can  and  will  deliver 
us.  And  if  we  examine  any  number  of  texts  of  the 
same  description,  which  call  on  lost  man  to  accept  of 


Acts  xvi.  31. 


40 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


pardon  and  reconciliation  through  Christ,  we  shall  find 
that,  in  every  case,  it  is  either  expressed  or  implied, 
that  we  are  to  believe  on  him.  This  condition — this 
idea — is  briefly  and  beautifully  expressed  by  St.  Paul, 

Being  justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace  with  God, 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.”* 

If  then  the  objector  again  asks, — Who  are  justified  } 
our  answer  must  be, — They  are  justified  who  believe 
in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  What,  merely  believe  } 
Yes,  merely  believe — believe — not  merely  say  they 
believe  I — ^believe  with  the  heart,  and  not  with  the  lips 
only.  And  this  answer  may  be  confirmed  and  illus- 

* Rom.  V.  1. 

t If  it  be  asked,  why  nothing  is  here  said  of  Baptism,  it 
may  be  observed,  that  the  persons  to  whom  these  pages  are 
addressed,  are  such  as  have  already  been  admitted  into  the 
Church  by  that  sacrament,  but  who,  through  sin,  or  the  neglect 
of  those  who  have  been  their  guides,  have  fallen  from  the 
state  of  grace,  into  which  they  were  then  admitted,  into  one 
of  a greater  or  less  degree  of  spiritual  darkness.  The  use  of 
the  sacrament  seems  also  to  be  really  implied  in  the  expression 
“ not  merely  say  they  believe.”  Whoever  comes  to  the  great 
Physician  of  souls,  must  employ  the  same  prudence  as  would 
be  expected  from  any  one  who  sought  from  his  fellow-man 
the  recovery  of  his  body.  If  the  sacraments  were  appointed 
by  our  Saviour,  he  who  believes  the  words  of  our  Saviour,  will 
follow  the  prescriptions  which  he  has  received.  It  is  worse 
than  vain  to  talk  of  a faith  which  does  not  show  itself  in  obe- 
dience. Christ  promises  to  save  us  from  our  sins  here,  as  well 
as  from  the  punishment  of  them  hereafter.  The  only  way  in 
which  we  can  come  unto  Christ  here  is,  by  following  those 
directions  which  he  has  given  us.  If  I were  asked,  whether 
baptism  justifies,  I should  reply.  Could  an  unbaptized  person 
be  really  a believer,  if  he  did  not  seek  for  baptism  ? 


THE  ATONEMENT 


41 


trated,  by  examining  the  details  connected  with  the 
miracles  performed  by  our  blessed  Saviour.  When 
the  broken-hearted  father  brought  his  demoniac  son  to 
Jesus,  and  said,  If  thou  canst  do  any  thing,  have 
compassion  on  us  and  help  us,”*  our  Lord’s  reply  is. 

If  thou  canst  believe,  all  things  are  possible  to  him 
that  believeth.”  The  father  was  aware  of  the  imper- 
fection of  his  own  belief,  but  the  very  answer  which 
he  made  distinctly  marked  the  reality  of  it : Lord,  I 
believe,  help  thou  mine  unbelief.”  He  thought  that 
Jesus  not  only  could,  and  would  cure  his  son,  but  that 
he  would  change  also  the  parent’s  heart — help  his 
unbelief.  This  language  of  our  Saviour,  when  applied 
to  ourselves,  amounts  to  this : You  may  be  saved,  if 
you  believe  ; and  the  answer  of  the  father  will  equally 
teach  us,  that  a saving  faith  is  the  gift  of  God. 

But  there  is  another  case,  even  more  strong  than 
this.  When  our  Saviour  visited  his  own  country,  the 
people  received  him  not  as  a prophet,  for  they  said. 
Is  not  this  the  carpenter’s  son  Pf  and  he  did  not  many 
mighty  works  there,  because  of  their  unbelief.  St. 
Mark  says,J  He  could  do  there  no  mighty  work,” — 
he  was  not  able.§  Nothing  can  be  more  strong  than 
this,  and  the  answer  to  the  question  before  us,  is,  They 
who  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  are  justified 
thereby,  which  corresponds  exactly  with  the  declara- 
tion of  our  own  Church  in  the  Eleventh  Article,  We 


* Mark  ix.  22. 
i Mark  vi.  5. 


4# 


t Matt.  xiii.  55. 
§ oiuic  idivaxo. 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


4& 

are  accounted  righteous  before  God,  only  for  the  merits 
of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  by  faith,”  &c. 

Is  then  faith  the  condition  of  our  being  justified  ? 
undoubtedly  it  is  ; but  we  must  explain  what  is  meant 
by  the  term,  in  order  to  prevent  mistakes.  The  con- 
dition upon  which  the  goods,  which  I purchase,  become 
mine,  is,  that  I give  an  equivalent  for  them.  The 
condition  on  which  the  employer  enjoys  the  services 
of  the  labourer  is,  that  he  pay  him  his  wages — an  equi- 
valent. For  his  justification  the  Christian  has  no  equi- 
valent which  he  can  pay.  Faith  is  no  equivalent  for 
pardon : it  is  no  price  at  which  the  pardon  is  purchased. 
The  condition  on  which  the  rebellious  subject  was  par- 
doned, by  his  offended  monarch,  was,  that  he  sued  for 
his  pardon.  It  is  that  without  which  he  will  not  be 
pardoned.  We  have  perhaps  used  the  word  condition 
in  two  different  senses,  at  least  a different  idea  is  con- 
veyed by  it.  Faith,  then,  is  that  without  which  no 
one  will  be  justified.  There  is  one  name  given  under 
heaven  whereby  men  may  be  saved,  and  faith  is  the 
means  by  which  we  lay  hold  of  that  salvation  which  is 
offered  to  lost  man.  Faith  was  the  means  whereby 
those  persons  came  unto  Jesus,  in  whose  favour  the 
miracles  were  performed.  They  believed  that  he  could 
and  would  do  that  which  they  sought  for,  and  therefore 
they  came  unto  him,  and  he  healed  them.  The  woman, 
who  had  an  issue  of  blood,  touched  the  hem  of  his 
garment,  because  she  believed  that  he  who  wore  that 
vesture  could  and  would  cure  her.  Else  why  did  she 
touch  him } It  was  not  the  state  of  her  own  mind 
which  was  the  faith  that  cured  her.  She  believed  in 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


43 


him  who  could  cure  her ; had  she  trusted  in  one  less 
able  to  save,  she  might  not  merely  have  touched  the 
hem,  but  have  wrapped  her  whole  body  in  the  garment, 
and  have  felt  no  benefit  thereby ; but  she  came  unto 
Christ,  and  he  cured  her.* 

And  it  is  this  which  the  Christian  must  do.  He 
must  come  unto  Christ,  trusting  that  Christ  can  and 
will  save  us — ^will  free  us  from  our  guilt  by  his  blood 
— ^will  forgive  us — ^will  place  who  are  condemned 
in  the  sight  of  the  Most  High,  in  a state  of  reconcilia- 
tion with  God ; by  taking  upon  himself  that  punish- 
ment which  we  have  deserved,  with  his  stripes  we 
are  healed.”  He  hath  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us 


Almighty  Father,  who  hast  given  thine  only  Son  to 
die  for  our  sins,  and  to  rise  again  for  our  justification ; 
grant  us  so  to  put  away  the  leaven  of  malice  and 
wickedness,  that  we  may  always  serve  thee  in  pureness 
of  living  and  truth : through  the  merits  of  the  same  thy 
Son  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  Amen. 


* We  may  properly  say  that  her  faith  cured  her;  by  which 
expression  we  mean  that  it  rendered  her  meet  to  be  cured. 
Christ  cured  her,  because  he  saw  that  she  had  faith  to  be 
cured — was  in  a fit  state  of  mind  to  receive  the  blessing.  So 
God  justifies  those  who  have  faith — who  are  in  a state  of  mind 
which  renders  them  meet  to  receive  justification.  The  healing 
faith,  so  to  speak,  of  the  woman,  had  the  Almighty  power  of 
Christ  for  its  object;  justifying  faith  has  the  efficacy  of  his 
atonement.  The  object  varies,  but  the  nature  of  the  faith  is 
in  both  instances  the  same. 


WHAT  IS  SANCTIFICATION? 


Creator  Spirit,  by  whose  aid 
The  world’s  foundations  first  were  laid, 
Come,  visit  every  humble  mind ; 

Come,  pour  Thy  joys  on  human  kind ; 
From  sin  and  sorrow  set  us  free. 

And  make  Thy  temples  worthy  Thee. 

Oh,  Source  of  uncreated  light. 

The  Father’s  promised  Paraclete  ! 
Thrice  holy  fount,  thrice  holy  fire, 

Our  hearts  with  heavenly  love  inspire ; 
Come,  and  Thy  sacred  unction  bring 
To  sanctify  us,  while  we  sing. 

Chase  from  our  mind  the  infernal  foe. 
And  peace,  the  fruit  of  love,  bestow  ; 
And  lest  our  feet  should  step  astray. 
Protect  and  guide  us  in  the  way ; 

Make  us  eternal  truths  receive. 

And  practise  all  that  we  believe ; 

Give  us  thyself,  that  we  may  see 
The  Father  and  the  Son,  by  Thee. 

Immortal  honor,  endless  fame. 

Attend  the  Almighty  Father’s  name ; 
The  Saviour  Son  be  glorified. 

Who  for  lost  man’s  redemption  died ; 
And  equal  adoration  be. 

Eternal  Paraclete,  to  Thee. 


WHAT  IS  SANCTIFICATION? 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Having  explained  the  docrine  of  the  Antonement,  and 
answered  the  question,  What  is  Justification  ? we  will 
proceed  with  another  of  equal  importance,  and  ask — 

What  is  Sanctification  ? — It  is  the  influence  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  acting  upon  our  hearts,  and  bringing  them 
into  conformity  to  the  will  of  God.  Such  a change  of 
heart  produced  in  us,  as  draws  us  nigh  unto  God,  and 
enables  us  to  address  our  heavenly  Father  by  those 
endearing  titles,  which  we  are  in  the  Bible  permitted 
to  employ. 

Sin  not  only  renders  us  guilty,  and  so  liable  to 
punishment,  but  it  turns  away  our  affections  from  the 
Almighty.  The  negligent  and  disobedient  servant  loves 
not  the  presence  of  his  earthly  master — he  cannot  love 
it.  The  froward  child  is  dissatisfied  with  itself,  and 
shuns  the  eye  of  his  too  indulgent  parent.  And  Adam 
when  he  had  broken  the  only  law  which  his  Maker  had 
given  him,  tried  to  conceal  himself  among  the  trees  of 
the  garden.  This  is  peculiarly  the  case,  after  the  com- 
mission of  any  positive  and  actual  sin.  When  he,  who 
knows  what  Christian  obedience  is,  has  broken  through 
those  restraints,  which  ordinarily  preserve  him  from  the 
open  breach  of  the  law  of  God,  and  has  done  violence 
to  his  own  better  judgment,  by  transgressing  some 
well-knoWn  commandment,  he  feels  disposed  to  fly  from 
God ; he  often  tries  to  hurry  himself  into  society,  to 
engage  in  buisness,  or  to  join  in  amusements,  for  the 


48 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


very  purpose  of  avoiding  his  own  reproving  thoughts 
— he  is  forced  to  shun  the  quiet  hour  of  secret  medita* 
tion,  because  he  cannot  bear  the  severity  of  his  own 
self-convicting  heart. 

But  besides  the  state  of  him  who  wilfully  offends 
against  the  dictates  of  his  own  conscience,  there  is 
another  state  which  is  perhaps  further  from  God.  I 
mean  a state  of  habitual  alienation  from  God — a state 
of  carelessness  with  regard  to  God,  and  every  thing 
pertaining  to  him — a state  of  deadness  with  regard  to 
religion,  which  in  Scripture  is  forcibly  described  as  the 
natural  state  of  man.  Here  then  the  individual  is 
afar  off  from  God,  without  being  conscious  of  it ; he 
imagines  himself  safe,  because  others,  in  equal  danger, 
are  apparently  equally  indifferent.  Some  zealous  Chris- 
tians would  compare  the  condition  of  such  a person, 
to  that  of  an  unconverted  heathen,  though  if  properly 
considered,  it  would  surely  appear  to  be  infinitely  worse. 
The  thoughtless  Englishman  has  been  admitted,  at  least 
outwardly,  into  covenant  with  God.  He  knows  this, 
and  cannot  help  being  aware  that  they  who  are  best 
able  to  judge  on  such  a question,  esteem  this  a very 
great  privilege.  He  has  possessed,  for  every  one  in 
England  does  possess  it,  the  outward  means  of  learning 
the  nature  of  that  religion  in  which  he,  together  with 
his  fellow-countrymen,  profess  to  believe,  and  he  has 
wilfully  neglected  to  make  use  of  these  means.  He 
knows  that  Christ  Jesus  is  preached  as  the  author  of 
salvation,  and  he  has  never  sought  to  learn  what  a faith 
in  Christ  is — to  know  what  Christianity  is,  which  he 
so  thoughtlessly  rejects.  Can  any  one  in  his  senses 


SANCTIFICATION. 


49 


compare  the  state  of  this  man,  with  that  of  the  idola- 
trous inhabitant  of  central  India,  who  has  never  heard 
of  the  name  of  the  Saviour  of  the  world  ? The  compa- 
rison must  appear  absurd.  The  thoughtless  Christian 
must  be  infinitely  worse  in  the  sight  of  God.  Have 
we  no  spiritual  privileges  as  a nation  ? What  does  our 
Saviour  mean  when  he  says.  Woe  unto  thee,  Bethsaida ! 
woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin,  for  if  the  mighty  works 
which  have  been  done  in  thee,  had  been  done  in  Tyre 
and  Sidon,  they  would  long  ago  have  repented  sitting 
in  sackcloth  and  ashes.  Shall  not  the  Queen  of  the 
South  rise  up  in  judgment  against  the  men  of  this 
generation  and  condemn  it  ? Have  we  not,  as  a people, 
the  means  of  hearing  those  things  which  many  prophets 
and  kings  have  desired  to  hear,  and  have  not  heard 
them  ? Such  men  see  the  general  advantages  of  Chris- 
tianity, but  they  will  not  look  into  its  mysteries.  They 
will  not  look  into  those  more  peculiar  doctrines  which 
constitute  the  very  essence  of  Christianity.  They  will 
not  seek  that  which  can  alone  save  us  in  the  day 
of  judgment.  They  close  their  eyes  against  it.  They 
see  that  religion  is  better  than  no  religion.  They  see 
that  Christianity  is  a great  blessing  to  the  world,  but 
they  have  never  yet  seen  their  own  lost  condition  with- 
out a Saviour  ; they  have  never  practically  felt  that 
without  holiness  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord — nay,  they 
have  never  understood  even  the  theory  of  Christianity 
— never  understood,  that  unless  our  hearts  are  brought 
into  conformity"  to  the  will  of  God — unless  we  be 
sanctified  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  we  have  no  just  grounds 
for  hoping  that  we  shall  ever  be  made  partakers  of  the 
5 


50 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


joys  which  are  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  We  must 
first  be  made  sons  of  God  by  faith  which  is  in  Jesus 
Christ ; and  being  sons  we  must  be  so  sanctified,  that 
our  hearts  may  cry  Abba  Father.  That  we  may 
have  the  feelings,  and  live  the  lives  of  sons  of  God. 
What  then  again  is  the  sanctification  here  spoken  of 
It  is  that  personal  holiness  of  the  heart,  which  is 
caused,  in  the  believer,  by  the  presence  and  influence 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  man  who  is  under  the 
guidance  of  the  Comforter,  becomes  thereby  a spiritual 
Christian. 

The  effect  so  produced  is  spoken  of  in  Scripture  as 
the  indwelling  of  God  in  the  heart  of  man.  “ If  any 
man  love  me,”  says  our  Saviour,  he  will  keep  my 
words  ; and  my  Father  will  love  him,  and  we  will  come 
unto  him,  and  make  our  abode  with  him.”  St.  Paul 
says,  Know  ye  not  that  ye  are  the  temple  of  God,  and 
that  the  Spirit  of  God  dwelleth  in  you  ? If  any  man 
defile  the  temple  of  God,  him  shall  God  destroy,  for  the 
temple  of  God  is  holy,  which  temple  ye  are.”  When 
we  are  commanded  to  be  perfect,  even  as  our  Father 
which  is  in  heaven  is  perfect ; this  is  not  a vain  form  of 
words,  which  bids  us  to  do  that  which  it  is  impossible 
for  us  to  do.  When  we  are  commanded  to  work  out 
our  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling,  we  are  not 
called  on  to  attempt  that  to  which  we  are  totally 
inadequate.  But  a faith  in  the  Everlasting  Son  of 
God,  holds  out  to  us,  sinners  though  we  be,  the  hope 
of  pardon,  the  prospect  of  mercy.  And  the  power  of 
the  Spirit  of  God,  v/orking  in  the  souls  of  those  who 
are  his  servants, — who  are  the  adopted  sons  of  God, — 


SANCTIFICATION. 


51 


enables  them  to  cry  Abba  Father,  and  to  do  all  things 
through  Christ  that  strengtheneth  them. 

The  fruits  of  the  Spirit  are  personal  holiness,  love, 
joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness,  meekness,  tem- 
perance,” and  unless  these  fruits  are  growing  in  us, 
unless  we  can  discover  some  evidence  of  this  work  of 
the  Lord  on  our  hearts,  we  have  no  reason  for  conclud- 
ing that  we  are  under  grace.  All  our  hope  of  pardon 
and  of  acceptance,  is  in  and  through  Christ  Jesus. 
We  are  not  pardoned  because  we  have  become  holy ; 
we  are  pardoned  because  Christ  Jesus  hath  died  for 
us ; and  being  pardoned  and  accepted  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord,  we  become  holy  through  the  influence 
of  that  Spirit  whom  our  Lord  promised  to  send  unto 
us  from  the  Father.  The  holiness  here  spoken  of,  is 
not  the  mere  round  of  external  devotion,  or  of  outward 
duties,  however  regularly  performed,  though  these  are 
frequently  the  means  of  producing  this  holiness  in  us. 
It  is  a holiness  of  the  heart.  It  is  the  image  of  God 
impressed  on  the  human  soul.  Our  tempers  and  affec- 
tions must  become  heavenly — our  inclinations  and 
wishes  must  be  lifted  up  towards  God.  We  must  love 
the  Lord  our  God  with  all  our  heart,  and  all  our  soul, 
and  all  our  strength — love  him,  not  merely  say  we 
love  him.  We  must  feel  towards  him  a humble  thank- 
fulness ; inasmuch  as  he  has  not  withheld  his  Son,  his 
only  Son  from  us.  And  this  love  of  God  will  display 
itself  in  such  a love  towards  man,  that  we  shall,  not 
merely  desire  to  love  our  neighbour  as  ourselves,  but 
we  shall  be,  in  some  measure,  enabled  so  to  do.  It  is 
such  a love  of  God,  as  will  lead  us  to  be  blameless  in 


52 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


all  manner  of  conversation — will  make  us  devote  our- 
selves to  the  service  of  God — ^will  make  us  try  to  fulfil 
that  vow  of  self-dedication,  which  we  renew  whenever 
we  are  partakers  in  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ. 

And  here  we  offer  and  present  unto  thee,  O Lord, 
ourselves,  our  souls,  and  bodies,  to  be  a reasonable, 
holy,  and  lively  sacrifice  unto  thee.’’ 

It  must  be  evident  to  every  one  who  is  at  all 
acquainted  with  the  state  of  his  own  heart,  that  the 
frame  of  mind  here  described,  cannot  flow  from  any 
source  within  ourselves.  That  the  change  in  our  natural 
temper  here  spoken  of,  must  proceed  from  a more  than 
human  influence.  So  that  if  this  change  in  the  heart 
and  affections  be  necessary  for  every  one, — if  no  one 
can  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  either  here  or 
hereafter,  except  through  a faith  in  Christ,  and  except 
his  heart  be  brought  by  that  faith,  and  through  the 
influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  into  a holy  frame,  it  will 
hardly  be  necessary  for  me  to  prove,  that  our  own 
Church  is  right  in  teaching  us  to  pray,  That  we 
being  regenerate  and  made  God’s  children  by  adoption 
and  grace,  may  daily  be  renewed  by  the  Holy  Spirit.” — 
That  we  may  be,  not  only  brought  under  the  saving 
influence  of  the  Gospel,  being  led  to  place  all  our 
hopes  and  confidence  in  the  atonement  of  Christ. — 
That  we  may,  not  only  have  been  once  baptized  with 
water  and  the  Holy  Spirit — have  once  partaken  of  the 
inward,  as  well  as  the  outward  part  of  the  sacrament 
of  baptism — but  that  we  may  have  been,  and  may 
daily  be  continued,  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God. 


SANCTIFICATION. 


53 


Does  any  one  ask,  why  such  a change,  why  such  an 
influence  is  necessary  for  every  son  of  Adam  ? Does 
he  know  his  own  heart  ? Is  he  acquainted  with  the 
evil  dispositions,  which  are  but  too  apt  to  gain  domi- 
nion, where  peace,  and  joy,  and  heavenly  love  should 
ever  reign  ? Is  he  aware  how  many  unclean  spirits 
dwell  in  that  body  of  his,  which  ought  to  be  a temple 
set  apart  for  the  Holy  Ghost  ? how  envy,  or  spite,  or 
malice,  or  uncleanness,  or  ambition,  or  revenge,  or 
avarice,  or  pride  are  apt  to  take  up  their  abode,  where 
nothing  but  love  and  peace,  Christian  love  and  Chris- 
tian peace,  ought  to  be  admitted  ? Does  he  know 
himself.^  He  esteems  himself  safe  perhaps  because 
thousands  beside  him  are  in  equal  peril.  But  will  it 
satisfy  us  to  be  cast  into  hell,  provided  others  are  con- 
signed to  the  same  place  of  eternal  penalty  ? Will  their 
pangs  relieve  ours  ? Will  it  be  any  consolation  to  us, 
if  others  are  joined  with  us  in  the  same  unceasing 
misery : “ Wide  is  the  gate,  and  broad  is  the  way,  and 
many  there  be  that  go  in  thereat.”  Does  he  know 
that  we  are  all,  by  nature,  the  children  of  wrath  ? — that 
by  one  man’s  disobedience  mam^  * were  made  sinners  ? 
Does  he  know  that  all  have  sinned  and  come  short  of 
the  glory  of  God  ? Does  he  feel  that  he  himself  has 
sinned  ? followed  that  which  is  evil,  and  neglected  that 
which  is  good  ? has  trifled  with  God,  and  given  way  to 
the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil  ? If  he  look  into 
his  own  heart,  he  may  kno  w it — if  he  examine  his  past 
life  he  may  see  it.  But  why,  he  continues,  may  1 not 


The  many,  the  mass,  6^  nol^ol. 
5* 


54 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


do  as  well  as  my  neighbours  ? My  dear  friend,  you 
may  do  as  well  as  your  neighbours,  but  narrow  is 
the  gate.” 

We  will  next  enquire  how  this  alteration  and  change 
in  the  state  of  our  heart  is  to  be  effected.  First,  I 
would  observe  that  though  all  such  spiritual  influence 
must  depend  on  God,  and  on  him  only,  yet  as  far  as 
human  eye  can  see,  and  as  far  as  we  can  learn  from 
the  Word  of  God,  much  is  left  to  the  agency  and 
instrumentality  of  man.  We  may  either  quench  the 
Spirit,  or  employ  those  means  of  grace  with  which  the 
Almighty  has  provided  us : and  humanly  speaking, 
the  same  faith  which  is  the  means  whereby  we  accept 
of  pardon,  is  the  means  too  by  which  we  are  sanctified. 
We  are  pardoned,  because  we  trust  in  Christ  who  died 
for  us,  and  the  believing  that  Christ  will  make  us  holy 
is  the  means  by  which  we  are  made  holy.  As  the 
Spirit  of  God  works  in  us  to  believe  in  Christ,  before 
we  can  become  partakers  of  the  forgiveness  purchased 
by  his  death — so  through  believing  this,  the  Holy 
Spirit  works  in  us  a holiness,  with  which  we  should 
otherwise  never  have  been  blessed.  It  cuts  at  the 
root  of  any  imagination  of  our  own  worth  or  merit, 
and  creates  that  humility  which  is  absolutely  required 
of  all  who  are  God’s  people.  We  cannot  be  devoted 
to  God,  unless  we  are  convinced  of  our  total  depen- 
dence on  him ; and  the  feeling  that  we  are  lost,  and 
saved  only  by  the  death  of  Christ,  produces  this  effect 
in  us ; it  makes  us  sensible  of  our  own  dependence, 
makes  us  long  for  a holiness  which  we  do  not  possess, 
and  devote  ourselves,  body  and  soul,  to  the  service  of 


SANCTIFICATION. 


55 


God.  The  conviction  of  the  necessity  of  this  holiness, 
this  change  of  heart,  which  must  proceed  from  God, 
and  not  from  ourselves,  will  make  us  pray  for  that  help 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  without  which  no  sanctification  can 
take  place  in  our  souls.  The  conviction  of  our  own 
personal  want  of  holiness,  the  conviction  of  the  absence 
of  that  spirituality,  which  constitutes  the  very  essence 
of  sanctification ; the  conviction  that  without  this,  we 
are  not  God’s  servants  here,  and  shall  not  be  accepted 
by  him  hereafter ; that  we  are  not  God’s  sons,  because 
we  do  not  cry  Abba,  Father, — are  all  so  many  steps 
by  which  the  Spirit  of  God  changes  our  hearts,  brings 
us  from  a natural  to  a spiritual  state.  They  are  so 
many  steps,  for  the  Scriptures  describe  sanctification  as 
a gradual  work.  The  expressions  used,  with  regard  to 
the  spread  of  the  Gospel  over  the  world,  are  equally 
applicable  to  the  growth  of  it  in  our  own  hearts — 
First  the  blade,  then  the  ear,  then  the  full  corn  in 
the  ear.”  There  must  be  a beginning,  and  as  in  all 
cases,  it  is  the  first  step  which  is  the  real  difficulty, 
many  sincere  friends  of  Christianity  seem  to  attribute 
too  much  to  the  first  step.  They  introduce  ideas 
which  create  indistinctness.  They  apply  language, 
(which  was  perfectly  intelligible,  when  applied  to 
Jews  of  mature  age,  in  our  Saviour’s  days)  to  persons 
situated  as  we  are  now,  without  qualifying  the  expres- 
sions. There  will  be  no  advantage  in  entering  into 
controversial  discussion,  but  it  may  be  useful  to  state 
briefly  that  which  is  frequently  misunderstood  in  the 
doctrines  of  our  own  Church,  on  this  subject. 

Our  Church  applies  the  term  ‘‘  being  born  again”  to 


56 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


the  grace  which  is  granted  in  baptism,  and  presumes 
that  the  child  of  Christian  parents,  admitted  into  the 
family  of  Christ,  and  brought  up  in  the  nurture  and 
admonition  of  the  Lord,  may  never  have  fallen  from 
grace,  may  have  been,  not  always  nor  ever  perfect ; 
but  always  the  servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
so  advancing  in  the  path  of  Christian  holiness,  by  a 
constant  supply  of  God’s  grace.  We  cannot  help 
perceiving  that  the  mass  of  any  community,  nominally 
Christian,  is  not  living  in  a state  of  grace ; is  not 
guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God ; and  therefore  the 
children  of  such  persons  do  not  continue  in  the  state 
into  which  they  were  admitted  by  baptism — probably 
they  have  never  been  walking  in  a state  of  grace  ; but 
why  need  we  define  that  with  which  we  are  unac- 
quainted from  the  Word  of  God  } 

It  is  however  clear,  that  with  regard  to  those  who 
are  brought  from  this  state,  into  a state  of  grace,  the 
change  must  have  been  effected  by  the  power  of  God, 
by  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost : and  yet  we  have 
no  right  to  identify  this  grace  with  the  conversion  and 
baptism  of  a heathen  adult.  We  should  create  a great 
confusion  with  regard  to  infant  baptism,  a great  confu- 
sion with  regard  to  the  doctrines  and  services  of  our 
own  Church,  not  to  say  a confusion  in  the  language  of 
holy  Scripture,  if  we  attempted  to  describe  under  the 
same  terms  ideas  so  very  far  distant  from  each  other, 
as  the  cases  of  an  unconverted  heathen,  and  of  a 
person,  who  having  formerly,  at  baptism,  been  admitted 
into  the  Church  of  Christ,  has  lived  in  a total  neglect 
of  Christianity  as  to  its  sanctifying  doctrines,  and  that 


SANCTIFICATION. 


57 


holiness  without  which  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord. 
The  most  degraded  heathen  will  in  the  day  of  judg- 
ment rise  up  against  him  and  condemn  him,  because 
he  has  neglected  to  employ  that  light  which  has  been 
most  mercifully  granted. 

The  whole  question  of  baptismal  regeneration  is  one 
on  which  a great  diversity  of  expression  may  be  used 
without  very  great  difference  of  opinion.  Few  will 
venture  to  deny  that  grace  is  granted  to  the  baptized 
infant  upon  his  outward  admission  into  the  Church  of 
Christ.  The  Church  of  England  teaches  that  such 
grace  is  given,  and  declares  the  child  when  baptized,  to 
be  regenerate  ; applying  this  term  to  the  grace  so  given, 
without  defining  its  quality  or  extent.  She  teaches 
too  That  after  we  have  received  the  Holy  Ghost  we 
may  depart  from  grace  given,  and  fall  into  sin.”  So 
that  in  this  view  of  the  question,  it  is  no  proof  that  the 
man  is  not  regenerate,  because  he  is  not  walking  under 
grace — he  may  have  fallen  from  grace — he  may  indeed 
never  have  been  under  grace,  in  the  sense  which  some 
persons  apply  to  the  term  “regenerate,”  but  such 
persons  must  remember  that  such  a use  of  the  word 
arises  from  themselves  and  not  from  the  Church. 

The  state  of  the  baptized  Christian  may  be  illus- 
trated by  that  of  the  circumcised  Israelite.  Our 
Saviour  says,*  “ I know  that  ye  are  Abraham’s  seed,” 
and  yet  he  immediately  after  adds,  “ If  ye  were  Abra- 
ham’s children,  ye  would  do  the  works  of  Abraham.” 
Baptism  is  a pledge  to  assure  us  of  grace  given — not 


John  viii.  37. 


58 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


of  grace  growing^  or  even  continued.  The  prodigal  in 
the  far  country  is  still  a son,  and  if  he  have  grace  to 
come  to  himself  and  to  return,  he  may  be  assured  that 
he  is  a son. 


Almighty  God,  who  hast  given  us  thy  only  begotten 
Son  to  take  our  nature  upon  him,  and  to  be  born  of  a 
pure  Virgin ; grant  that  we  being  regenerate,  and 
made  thy  children  by  adoption  and  grace,  may  daily 
be  renewed  by  thy  Holy  Spirit ; through  the  same  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  liveth  and  reigneth  with  Thee 
and  the  same  Spirit,  ever  one  God,  world  without  end. 
Amen. 


FREENESS  OF  THE  ATONEMENT. 


Ye  that  in  these  courts  are  found, 
Listening  to  the  Gospel  sound ; 
Lost  and  guilty  as  ye  are  ; 

Full  of  sorrow,  sin,  and  care  ; 
Glorify  the  King  of  kings  ; 

Take  the  peace  the  Gospel  brings. 

Turn  to  Christ  your  suppliant  eyes 
View’  His  perfect  sacrifice  ; 

See  in  Him  your  sins  forgiven ; 
Follow  in  His  steps  to  heaven ; 
Glorify  the  King  of  kings  ; 

Take  the  peace  the  Gospel  brings. 


THE 


FREENESS  OF  THE  ATONEMENT- 


CHAPTER  V. 


When  we  look  at  any  point  connected  with  salvation, 
there  are  two  aspects  in  which  a wise  man  will  regard 
it : one  as  it  belongs  to  the  question  generally,  the 
other  as  it  refers  personally  to  ourselves ; and,  of 
course,  the  latter  of  these  two  is,  beyond  compare,  the 
most  important  to  us.  It  is  a matter  of  curiosity,  to 
examine  how  far  the  sacrifice  offered  by  Christ  can  be 
said  to  extend  to  the  whole  world  ; but  it  is  one  of  vital 
interest  to  ascertain  whether  we  are  included  within 
the  limits  of  the  general  offer.  We  have,  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapters,  examined  the  leading  features  which 
characterize  Christianity  ; we  have  seen  the  importance 
of  believing  in  Jesus  as  a Saviour,  and  the  blessing  of 
being  under  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  still 
there  may  be  a question,  not  only  how  far  we  are  par- 
takers of  this  great  advantage,  but  how  far  we  are 
capable  of  being  so.  We  see  that  all  are  not  sharers 
in  these  special  privileges.  Our  minds  may  say,  how 
far  are  all  of  us  capable  of  becoming  so  ? 

Whoever  considers  the  infinite  value  of  salvation, 
and  imagines  that  some  mistake  of  his  own,  concerning 
the  terms  on  which  it  is  proposed  to  man,  may  exclude 
him  from  the  benefit  of  the  gracious  offer,  must  be 
dead  to  every  sense  of  his  own  interest,  or  he  must  be 
mad,  if  he  continue  one  moment  without  trying  to 
6 


62 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


look  to  the  bottom  of  the  question.  There  may  be 
difficulties,  even  to  the  last.  There  may,  and  will,  be 
some  points  on  which  we  shall  wish  for  more  full 
information — some  doubts  which  we  should  gladly  see 
cleared  up ; but  in  a matter  of  such  paramount  im- 
portance, he  that  doubteth  is  damned.  The  mere  fact 
of  our  going  on  in  doubt,  shows  that  all  is  not  right 
with  us.  If  a question  were  raised  as  to  the  solvency 
of  a bank,  and  we  knew  that  some  of  the  most  influen- 
tial partners  did  themselves  mistrust  the  state  of  the 
establishment,  but  were  still  unwilling  to  enter  on  a 
full  investigation  of  its  solvency,  what  would  be  the 
impression  on  the  mind  of  an  indifferent  person  ? If 
the  partner  doubts,  and  does  not  examine,  he  is  con- 
demned by  the  very  nature  of  the  case.  It  may  be 
wiser  under  many  circumstances  not  to  enter  on  an 
investigation ; but  the  fact  of  their  declining  to  do  so, 
passes  on  the  bank  a sentence  which  nothing  can  wipe 
off.  He  who  goes  on,  notwithstanding  his  doubts,  is 
condemned  by  the  mere  doing  so.  There  may  be  parts 
of  the  concerns  of  the  bank  with  which  the  partner,  so 
declining  to  examine,  may  not  be  entirely  conversant ; 
he  may  be  forced  to  say,  I cannot  answer  this  or  that 
question,  but  of  the  whole  I have  no  doubt.  I do  not 
investigate,  because  I have  no  doubt.  The  mere 
investigation  would  imply  and  create  a doubt,  when 
in  truth  I have  none.  This  would  be  the  language  of 
an  honest  man ; but  if  he  doubted,  he  would  be  con- 
demned by  the  mere  doubt.  The  Christian  may  say. 
How  far  God  has  offered  eternal  life  to  every  created 
being,  I do  not  know,  “ seek  ye  to  enter  in  at  the 


FREENESS  OF  THE  ATONEMEN'r. 


63 


straight  gate.”  That  he  has  offered  it  to  all  baptized 
Christians,  I have  no  doubt.  That  he  does  offer  it 
to  all  to  whom  the  word  of  God  is  preached,  I have  no 
doubt.  That  it  is  the  duty  of  every  Christian  to  try 
to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  whole  world,  I have  no 
doubt.  That  Christ  died  for  all,  I have  no  doubt ; 
nor  have  I any  doubt  that  many  are  called,  but  few 
chosen.”  Here  then,  as  a practical  question,  bearing 
on  the  salvation  of  the  individual,  there  is  ground 
enough  on  which  every  humble  Christian  may  stand. 
He  believes  that  God  willeth  all  men  to  be  saved  and 
to  come  to  a knowledge  of  the  truth,” — all  men — as 
far  as  the  will  of  God  is  concerned, — not  saved  without 
coming  to  the  truth, — but  saved  by  coming  to  the 
truth.  The  most  willing  father  cannot  be  reconciled 
to  his  offending  children,  unless  they  wish  for  recon- 
ciliation. God  has  established  laws  which  he  will  not 
break,  and  the  sinfulness  of  men  may  exclude  from  the 
mercy  of  God.  There  may  be  a difficulty  in  under- 
standing how  this  can  be  so — how  there  can  be  any- 
thing which  an  Almighty  Being  can  will,  and  yet  not 
do.  There  is,  and  always  will  be,  a metaphysical  diffi- 
culty in  this — there  is  no  practical  difficulty.  We  act 
on  such  sort  of  points  ever}^  day  of  our  lives.  God 
may  give  a free  will  to  his  creature,  whom  ho  willetli 
to  be  saved,  and  that  free  will  may  be  exercised  in 
opposition  to  the  will  of  God,  but  the  offer  is  a free 
gift  on  the  part  of  God.  Free  to  all,  as  far  as  we  are 
concerned ; and  the  freedom  imposes  on  us  most 
important  duties  : the  duty  of  accepting  the  offer 
made  to  us — the  duty  of  trying  to  make  the  offer  to 


64 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


others — to  all  others.  Why ! God  should  make 
another  man’s  salvation  to  hinge  on  our  exertions, 
may  be  a difficulty  to  some  minds ; but  it  is  perfectly 
consistent  with  that  law  which  visiteth  the  iniquity 
of  the  fathers  on  the  third  and  fourth  generations.” 
In  all  such  questions,  the  difficulty  exists  in  some 
stage  or  other  of  the  examination : one  human  being 
may  see  further  into  God’s  dealings  than  another, 
but  there  is  a point  at  which  every  one  stops  ; but  this 
point  is  always  beyond  the  practical  question.  God 
never  leaves  us  in  doubt  as  to  what  we  are  to  do,  or 
what  we  are  not  to  do ; this  is  almost  always  quite 
clear — clear  as  to  our  general  line  of  conduct.  The 
difficulty  begins  when  we  wish  to  pr}^  beyond  the 
practical  question.  Some  persons  may  conceive  that 
they  are  rejec^d,  but,  probably,  no  one  would  pretend, 
that  the  offer  of  salvation  was  never  made  to  them. 
When  we  begin  to  inquire,  the  door  seems  to  be  always 
open — Christ  Jesus  is  the  propitiation,  not  only  for 
our  sins,  but  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world.  The 
rock  on  which  the  believer  builds  his  hopes,  is  one 
which  divine  mercy  has  placed  as  the  common  founda- 
tion for  every  Christian  building.  The  superstructure 
may  be  different,  but  there  is  but  one  safe  foundation, 
and  that  is  one  to  which  we  are  all  invited  to  come — 
it  is  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  travail  and  are  heavy 
laden.”  This  is  a free  call — a call  made  to  all.  It  is 
an  invitation  to  accept  of  a great  favour  which  has  been 
conferred  on  us.  The  favour  has  been  conferred^  it 
remains  for  us  to  accept  it.*  Redemption  is  that  which 
has  been  done  for  us  by  Christ,  without  our  having 


FREENESS  OF  THE  ATONEMENT. 


65 


at  all  participated  in  the  thing  done.  We  may,  or 
may  not,  accept  it ; but  if  we  believe  not,  he  abideth 
faithful.  The  free  pardon  is  signed  and  sealed,  without 
any  instrumentality  on  our  part ; has  been  signed  and 
sealed  since  the  day  that  Christ  rose  from  the  dead, 
triumphing  over  sin  and  death.  If  we  trust  in  this, 
we  shall  be  saved,  i.  e.,  if  we  really  trust.  This  faith, 
this  trusting,  is  also  a free  gift  of  God  ; but  this  is 
ordinarily  wrought  b}*  means  : human  agents  are  often, 
almost  always  perhaps,  instrumentally  concerned  in 
producing  this  faith.  We  are  ourselves  probably,  of 
all  agents,  those  who  are  most  concerned  in  producing 
this  faith.  We  limit  not  God’s  power  or  will.  We 
say  not  how  he  may  act.  The  only  question  which  we 
seek  to  answer  is,  how  he  does  work.  The  ten  thou- 
sand events  which  have  insensibly  contributed  to  pro- 
duce a faith  in  Christ  in  the  mind  of  the  humble  Eng- 
lish Christian,  are  God’s  doing,  as  much  as  the  light 
from  heaven  which  changed  the  faith  of  St.  Paul. 
That  man  must  be  a bold  reasoner,  who  would  say 
that  St.  Paul  might  not  have  resisted  even  this  call ; or 
who  would  say,  that  the  Pharisees,  who  saw  the  mira- 
cles of  our  Saviour,  did  not  reject  a call  from  heaven  ; 
and  if  any  one  denies  that  many  of  those  with  whom 
we  live,  do  reject  that  which  God  purposed  to  have 
led  them  to  a faith  in  Christ,  he  must,  I think,  know 
very  little  of  what  is  actually  going  on  around  us. 

In  this  investigation  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance 
to  keep  in  mind,  that  the  whole  difficulty  which  embar- 
rasses us,  is  a logical  difficulty  which  created  as  great 
perplexity  to  the  Stoics  as  it  presents  to  the  Christian. 

6^ 


66 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


The  fatality  of  the  Greek  tragedians  is  abstractedly  as 
difficult  to  be  understood  as  the  doctrine  of  predestina- 
tion ; but  practically  there  is  no  difficulty — practically 
we  all  acknowledge  that  faith  is  wrought  in  us  by 
means,  and  is  prevented  by  the  non-use  of  means. 
The  limit  of  those  means  belongs  to  our  heavenly 
Father,  but  the  use  of  the  means  he  has  given  to  us, 
and  woe  be  to  us  if  we  use  them  not. 

But  it  may  be  said, — May  we  not  desire  to  partake 
in  these  blessings,  and  yet  never  obtain  them } for  our 
Lord  says, — Many  shall  seek  to  enter  in  and  not  be 
able.”  But  if  we  look  at  these  very  words,  we  shall 
find  that  his  argument  is  this, — Strive  to  enter  in  with 
all  your  might,  for  if  you  do  not  strive  now^  you  will 
seek,  when  it  is  too  late,  with  all  earnestness  and  im- 
portunity to  enter  in,  but  to  no  purpose.  A line  of 
argument  which  seems  most  clearly  to  imply  a freeness 
on  the  part  of  God.  Of  course  there  is  a point  where 
God  will  cut  off  the  offender.  It  is  not  for  us  to  say 
when  the  Almighty  began  to  harden  Pharaoh’s  heart ; 
we  know  that  he  did  harden  it ; but  if  we  fairly  exam- 
ine any  of  those  texts  which  alarm  the  minds  of  penitent 
and  doubting  Christians,  I think  we  may  feel  convinced 
that  men  are  condemned  by  their  continuance  in 
impenitence,  and  not  by  the  refusal  of  pardon  to  the 
penitent.  The  case  of  Esau  (Heb.  xii.  16)  refers  to  an 
earthly,  rather  than  a spiritual  advantage.  The  whole 
line  of  reasoning,  if  fairly  examined,  seems  to  amount 
to  no  more  than  this, — that  he  did  wrong,  and  could 
never  do  away  the  effects  of  his  own  mad  conduct — he 
could  not  recover  his  birthright.  And  undoubtedly 


FREENESS  OF  THE  ATONEMENT. 


67 


the  same  is  at  the  present  day  true  in  spiritual  things 
He  who  by  his  sin  had  allowed  an  evil  temper,  a wrong 
passion,  to  master  him,  will,  perhaps,  during  his  whole 
life,  find  it  necessary  to  seek  for  pardon  with  tears ; 
and  may,  to  his  dying  day,  find  a temporal  as  well  as 
a spiritual  curse  affixed  to  his  transgression — a punish- 
ment which  attends  him  to  his  last  hour,  and  of  which 
the  very  object  may  be,  to  save  him,  by  leading  him 
daily  and  humbly  to  Christ  Jesus.  So  again : (Heb. 
vi.  4,)  v/here  it  is  said,  that  it  is  impossible  to  renew 
those  w’ho  have  fallen  after  grace ; St.  Paul  does  not 
say  that  they  cannot  be  renewed,  but  that  the  preacher 
of  Christianity  has  no  means  of  renewing  them — has 
no  new  offer  to  make  to  them.* 

If  then  God  produces  faith  in  us  by  means,  and  if 
he  places  the  means  before  us,  and  we  refuse  to  em- 
ploy them,  surely  there  is  nothing  to  take  away  from 
the  freeness  of  the  offer.  We  can  hardly  practically 


* Unless  T am  greatly  mistaken,  the  active  sense  of  the  verb 
is  not  only  the  most  grammatical,  but  suits  the  chain  of  argu- 
ment much  better  than  any  other.  “ Many  of  you,”  says  the 
Apostle,  “have  so  gone  backward,  that  you  stand  in  need 
of  milk  and  not  of  strong  meat.  (v.  12.)  You  need  to  be 
instructed  in  the  first  principles  of  that  religion  in  which  you 
ought  to  be  teachers ; to  these  I cannot  now  refer,  I must  try 
to  lead  you  forv'ard  towards  perfection,  (vi.  1.)  If  they  who 
have  been  made  partakers  of  the  heavenly  gift,  and  enjoyed 
the  same  privileges  as  myself,  have  crucified  the  Lord  of  Life 
afresh,  and  put  him  to  an  open  shame,  what  can  I do  for  their 
conversion — {ddvvaxov  avoLnaivl'Ceiv  alg  fiei&voLav).  It  is  im- 
possible for  me  to  renew  them,  to  convert  them  to  that  faith 
from  which  they  have  fallen.” 


68 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


doubt  of  the  want  of  faith  existing  among  the  great 
mass  of  nominal  Christians ; they  show  by  their  lives 
that  they  do  not  believe  the  Gospel  to  be  true  ; they 
may  deny  nothing — they  act  as  if  they  did  not  believe. 
They  do  not  seem  to  consider  the  state  of  trial  in 
which  we  are  placed,  and  that  we  are  drawing  nearer 
either  to  heaven  or  to  hell  every  day  of  our  lives. 
They  do  not  seem  to  believe  that  there  is  a prospect 
of  hell  before  them  ; that  there  are  means  whereby  we 
may  escape  this  place  of  torment,  and  that  God  freely 
offers  them  the  means  of  escaping.  They  do  not  seem 
to  believe  that  unless  they  lay  hold  of  this  one  name 
b}"  which  we  may  be  saved,  they  will  perish  ever- 
lastingly. Some  persons  are  shocked  at  the  strength 
of  this  expression,  perish  everlastingly,”  as  repeated 
in  the  Athanasian  Creed.  The  only  question  is — Is 
it  true  ? Is  there  no  other  means  of  salvation  than 
through  Christ } If  so,  where  is  the  harshness  of 
speaking  the  truth,  when  the  truth  can  alone  free  us 
from  death  eternal  ? A free  offer  of  pardon  and 
acceptance  is  made  us  through  Christ  Jesus,  and 
there  is  no  other  means  of  acceptance — so  free,  that 
at  the  day  of  judgment,  every  Christian  who  is  con- 
demned will  say  : — My  own  obstinacy  brought  on  me 
this  just  punishment.  God  was  merciful,  but  I re- 
jected his  mercy.  God  said  unto  me — Believe  in 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved,” — 
and  I did  not  believe  in  this  only  Saviour. 


FREENESS  OF  THE  ATONEMENT.  09 

O Almighty  God,  who  alone  canst  order  the  unruly 
wills  and  affections  of  sinful  men ; grant  unto  Thy 
people,  that  they  may  love  the  thing  which  Thou  com- 
mandest,  and  desire  that  which  Thou  dost  promise ; 
that  so,  among  the  sundry  and  manifold  changes  of 
the  world,  our  hearts  may  surely  there  be  fixed,  where 
true  joys  are  to  be  found,  through  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord.  Amen. 


THE 


FREENESS  OF  SANCTIFICATION. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


In  the  last  chapter  we  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  offer  of  salvation  is  freely  made  to  every  baptized 
Christian ; but  it  may  be  doubted  whether  our  line  of 
reasoning  has  not  carried  us  even  beyond  this ; and  it 
may  be  asked  whether  the  same  arguments  will  not 
lead  us  to  conclude,  that  as  Christ  Jesus  died  for  all, 
all  men  must  be  justified.  It  may  be  asked, — If 
Redemption  be  wrought  for  us,  without  any  effort  of 
our  own,  why  may  it  not  be  extended  to  the  Hindoo 
as  well  as  to  the  Englishman  F — to  the  heathen  as  well 
as  to  the  Christian  ? And  our  answer  must  be, — 
Because  God,  whose  we  are,  and  whom  we  serve,  has 
ordained  that  men  shall  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
truth,  in  order  that  they  may  be  saved.  It  is  not  that 
we  pretend  to  say  that  he  might  not  have  ordered  it 
otherwise,  but  that  from  his  word  we  learn  that  he  has 
ordered  it  so ; and  he  has  also  said,  that  “ without 
holiness  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord.”  And  without  the 
grace  of  God,  by  faith,  men  do  not  become  holy.  A 
Christian  missionary,  whose  eye  has  been  opened  to 
the  purity  of  God,  and  the  defilements  which  are  in 
man,  is  aware  of  the  degradation  of  the  heathen, — of 
the  debased  state  of  mind  into  which  mankind  fall, 
when  the  mass  of  society  is  not  salted  with  the  salt  of 
Christianity, — when  there  are  none  of  God’s  servants 


FREENESS  OF  SANCTIFICATION. 


71 


to  season  the  lump.  Men  who  live  in  the  society  of 
those  who  call  themselves  Christiansj  and  among  whom 
there  are  many  who  are  governed  by  the  spirit  of  the 
Gospel,  do  not  know  how  much  they  owe  to  the  secret 
influence  of  God’s  servants.  The  ten  righteous  persons 
not  only  prevent  God  from  destroying  the  city,  but 
they  do  prevent  the  city  from  being  such  as  God  would 
destroy.  The  mass  of  the  world  are  not  at  all  aware 
of  the  Christian  meaning  of  the  expression — A little 
leaven  leaveneth  the  whole  lump.”  The  master  of  a 
large  school  is  soon  aware  of  the  secret  and  injurious 
influence  of  two  or  three  malicious,  ill-disposed  boys : 
they  raise  up  a spirit  among  their  fellows  which  soon 
displays  itself.  But  he  would  not  be  conscious  of  the 
beneficial  effect  of  two  or  three  good  boys  : they  prevent 
evil  of  the  existence  of  which  he  is  not  aware  ; he  may 
learn  it  afterwards,  but  at  the  time  the  evil  is  prevented, 
and  he  knows  neither  his  escape  nor  the  secret  cause 
of  it.  The  mass  of  the  world  do  not  see  the  depravity 
of  human  nature.  A man  who  was  not  influenced  by 
Christianity,  would  not  be  aware  of  the  depravity  of 
the  heathen  among  whom  he  lived ; he  would  not  see 
that  they  were  worse  than  a Christian  society  ; his  own 
mind  would  soon  get  infected  by  the  depravity  around 
him,  and  he  would  lose  sight  of  the  exceeding  sinful- 
ness of  sin.  Such  a man  who  was  living  at  Benares, 
would  not  be  conscious  that  the  people  were  much 
worse  than  they  are  in  London.  There  may  be  some 
points  in  which  they  are  not  worse — to  our  shame  be 
it  spoken  ; but  a Christian  missionary  would  see  that 
amongst  the  guilt  and  depravity  of  England — of  that 


72 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


which  was  worst  in  England — there  was  a salt  which 
prevented  such  a degree  of  corruption  as  he  would 
behold  amongst  the  heathen.  The  Christian  community- 
may  be  the  more  guilty  though  the  less  impure — acting 
more  against  the  convictions  of  conscience.  But  the 
most  impure  of  the  heathen  is  guilty  on  account  of  his 
impurity,  because  God  has  given  him  a means  of  ad- 
vancing in  holiness,  to  which  he  has  not  attained,  and 
which  he  has  rejected  against  his  better  judgment.  I 
conceive  that  the  reasoning  of  St.  Paul  to  the  Romans 
always  has  been  and  always  will  be  true. 

Rom.  i.  18 — “ For  the  wrath  of  God  is  revealed  from 
heaven  against  all  ungodliness  and  unrighteousness  of 
men,  who  hold  the  truth  in  unrighteousness ; because 
that  which  may  be  known  of  God,  is  manifest  in  them ; 
for  God  hath  showed  it  unto  them.  For  the  invisible 
things  of  him  from  the  creation  of  the  world  are  clearly 
seen,  being  understood  by  the  things  that  are  made, 
even  his  eternal  power  and  Godhead ; so  that  they  are 
without  excuse : because  that  when  they  knew  God, 
they  glorified  him  not  as  God,  neither  were  thankful ; 
but  became  vain  in  their  imaginations,  and  their  foolish 
heart  was  darkened.  Professing  themselves  to  be  wise 
they  became  fools,  and  changed  the  glory  of  the  uncor- 
ruptible God  into  an  image  made  like  to  corruptible 
man,  and  to  birds  and  four-footed  beasts,  and  creeping 
things.  Wherefore  God  also  gave  them  up  to  unclean- 
ness through  the  lusts  of  their  own  hearts.”  God  gave 
that  to  man,  to  every  created  man,  which  would  have 
led  him  to  a better  state  than  that  in  which  he  stands. 
The  most  impure  would  have  been  less  defiled,  had  he 


FREENESS  OF  SANCTIFICATION. 


73 


not  cast  away  that  knowledge,  that  aid  witn  which 
God  had  supplied  him.  He  is  guilty,  because  he 
might  have  been  better.  Video  meliora  proboque.’’ 
It  would  be  folly  to  assert  that  every  man  might  have 
attained  to  Christian  holiness;  but  every  man’s  own 
heart  will  confess,  that  he  might  have  attained  to  a 
greater  degree  of  holiness  than  he  has  attained  to. 
But  Christian  holiness  is  not  such  a perfection  as  man 
may  attain  unto  by  himself,  but  it  is  such  a state  as 
God’s  grace  will  produce  in  man. 

Now  it  is  clear  that  Christian  holiness  has  not  been 
offered  to  every  man,  for  the  Gospel  has  never  yet 
been  preached  to  the  majority  of  mankind.  But  if  to 
every  man  a greater  degree  of  holiness  has  been  pro- 
posed, than  he  has  ever  attained  to,  it  is  clear,  that 
Christians  who  have  not  attained  to  Christian  holiness 
have  stopped  short  through  their  own  fault.  If  Chris- 
tian holiness,  as  all  other  holiness,  is  to  be  attained  by 
degrees,  and  men  stop  short  through  their  own  fault, 
— if  holiness  is  to  be  attained  by  means,  and  men  will 
not  accept  of  those  means,  which  are  proposed  to  them 
by  the  mercy  of  God,  it  seems  clear  that  the  rejection 
is  an  act  of  the  man  himself,  who  refuses  that  which 
the  Almighty  offers.  Men  often  excuse  themselves  on 
the  plea  that  they  cannot  become  holy  save  through 
the  influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost, — have  they  ever 
examined  into  the  question  whether  they  have  not 
themselves  rejected  grace  when  it  was  proffered  to 
them  } Christ  died  for  all,  but  they  only  are  made 
partakers  of  the  benefit  of  that  death  who  believe  in 
the  vSon  of  God.  Our  Saviour  says,  “If  ye  being 


74 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


evil  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  to  your  children, 
how  much  more  shall  your  heavenly  Father  give  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask  him  ?” — i.  e.  If  we  ask, 
we  shall  have  grace  given  unto  us.  It  might  be 
objected  that  some  men  may  not  have  grace  to  ask : 
we  know  that  some  men  do  not  ask ; but  it  may  be 
safely  left  to  the  decision  of  any  man’s  own  conscience, 
whether  God  has  not  enabled  him  to  see  the  propriety, 
the  wisdom,  the  duty  of  asking  for  grace,  and  whether  he 
himself  has  not  been  negligent  in  asking.  The  freedom 
and  fulness  of  God’s  grace  to  baptized  Christians — to 
those  who  are  living  in  a Christian  country,  to  whom 
the  outward  means  of  grace  are  always  open — consists 
of  this : Not  that  God  forces  his  holiness  upon  all, 
but  that  there  is  no  one  to  whom  the  means  of  sancti- 
fication are  not  so  far  open  that  he  will  truly  say — 
God  called  me  to  holiness,  and  I might  have  been 
more  holy  had  I but  used  those  means  which  the 
Almighty  has  placed  before  me  ; my  present  want  of 
holiness  is  my  own  fault.  The  freeness  with  which 
sanctification  is  proposed  to  us  seems  to  differ  in  its 
nature  and  character  from  the  freeness  with  which 
justification  is  offered  to  us.  It  is  easy  to  conceive 
that  a person  may  live  all  their  life  in  England,  and 
yet  never  be  aware  of  the  nature  of  the  Gospel, — of 
the  free  offer  of  pardon,  through  a Redeemer’s  blood, 
made  to  lost  man  ; he  must  have  heard  the  words, — 
he  may  never  have  received  the  idea  into  his  mind ; 
it  is  easy  to  conceive  that  a person  shall  have  lived  in 
England,  and  have  no  idea  that  the  grace  of  God  is 
necessary  to  enable  us  to  become  holy ; but  it  is  not 


FREENESS  OF  SANGTIFICATION. 


75 


easy  to  conceive  a person  who  believes  that  Christ 
Jesus  died  for  him,  and  who  wishes  to  be  the  servant 
of  Christ,  and  yet  imagines  that  the  holiness  which  he 
sees  that  he  needs,  is  denied  him  through  any  other 
cause  than  his  own  neglect  of  using  those  means 
which  God  has  appointed.  Nevertheless,  there  are 
perhaps  many  such  persons ; and  it  is  probable  that  a 
misunderstanding  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ’s  imputed 
righteousness  may  have  tended  to  increase  the  number 
of  such  unhappy  individuals.  Under  the  name  Im- 
puted righteousness,”  two  totally  distinct  ideas  are 
frequently  conveyed.  Some  persons  would  understand 
by  it,  that  which  is  laid  down  in  the  third  chapter 
of  this  book, — We  are  pardoned  for  Christ’s  sake — 
With  his  stripes  we  are  healed  ; Christ’s  righteous- 
ness is  thus  imputed  to  us.  Others  would  say, — 
No  one  can  fulfil  the  whole  law, — No  man  can 
become  holy  as  our  Father  which  is  in  heaven  is 
holy, — All  our  holiness  is  as  filthy  rags,  we  must 
be  clothed  upon  therefore  with  the  holiness  of 
Christ’s  righteousness  imputed  to  us — not  our  own, 
but  Christ’s ; i.  e.  they  substitute  a holiness  worked  for 
us,  for  a holiness  worked  in  us.  And  in  a practical 
point  of  view,  the  difference  between  the  two  views 
is  enormous.  As  far  as  merit  is  concerned,  there  is 
no  difference  of  opinion.  No  man,  who  knows  what 
Christian  holiness  is,  will  ever  venture  to  enter  into  an 
examination  of  his  own  merits.  Both  these  parties 
seek  for  pardon  and  acceptance  through  Christ.  We 
pray  him  to  accept  our  unholy  holiness;  not  to  weigh 
it,  but  to  forgive  it.  But  in  one  case,  the  sinner  hopes 


76 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


to  be  made  holy  in  this  life,  to  be  made  more  and 
more  holy  continually,  day  by  day  growing  in  grace  : 
in  the  other  case,  he  hopes  that  he  shall  be  clothed 
with  Christ’s  holiness ; he  expects  that  the  sanctifica- 
tion of  his  heart  shall  be  done  for  him,  and  not  in  him. 
Both  agree  that  it  must  be  God’s  doing ; one  believes 
that  it  is  done  without  us,  without  any  co-operation  on 
our  part;  the  other,  that  it  is  done  in  us,  by  God,  and 
that  the  instrument  is  the  using  such  means  as  God 
has  appointed.  I need  hardly  add,  that  in  my  opinion, 
the  term  imputed  righteousness  is  equivocal,  and  not 
being  used  in  sacred  Scripture  in  the  second  sense,  it 
is  much  better  not  to  employ  it ; though  I cannot  help 
fearing  that  many  persons  neglect  to  use  the  means 
which  God  has  appointed  to  make  us  holy,  because 
they  have  a vague  idea  of  being  made  holy  without 
the  use  of  means.  In  a false  species  of  humility  they 
look  up  to  God,  to  do  that  for  them  which  God  can 
alone  effect,  but  which  he  has  appointed  to  be  effected 
by  means  placed  with  their  reach. 

The  freeness  then  of  justification  and  of  sanctifica- 
tion are  equally  great ; both  are  offered  to  us — to  every 
baptized  Christian  placed  as  we  are ; but  they  are 
offered  in  a different  way.  Christ  died  for  all,  and 
God  has  offered  to  each  of  us  a share  in  this  pardon  : 


* The  term  “imputed  righteousness”  may  he  applied  to 
either  “justification”  or  “sanctification;”  in  the  first  case  it 
agrees  with  the  doctrine  of  the  Xlth  Article.  When  applied  to 
sanctification,  it  is  likel}^  to  lead  to  a very  false  view  of  Chris- 
tian holiness,  and  to  avoid  the  danger  of  this  misapplication,  I 
esteem  it  safer  not  to  employ  the  term. 


FREENESS  OF  SANCTIFICATION. 


7 


we  may  reject  it,  but  God  offers  it  to  us  freely.  He 
offers  to  ever}^  one  of  us  the  means  of  becoming  holy. 
He  says, — Pray,  and  I will  give  you  grace.  The  sinner 
says, — I cannot  pra}".  But  he  may  ask  God  to  enable 
him — God  will  do  so.  He  sends  his  ministers — he 
appoints  his  sacraments — he  has  enabled  many  of  his 
servants  to  write  books  tending  to  the  edification  of 
their  brethren:  all  these  are  means  of  grace.  They 
will  not  avail  of  themselves.  God  offers  these  outward 
means  to  every  man  in  England  ; but,  believe  me,  God 
never  did,  and  never  will  deny  his  grace — that  inward 
grace  which  can  alone  purify  the  heart — to  such  as 
humbly  employ  those  means  which  he  has  given  us. 
In  this  sense,  sanctification  is  freely  offered  to  us  all ; 
and  we  shall  be  without  excuse,  if  at  the  day  of  judg- 
ment we  are  without  it. 


O Almighty  Lord,  and  everlasting  God,  vouchsafe, 
we  beseech  thee,  to  direct,  sanctify,  and  govern,  both 
our  hearts  and  bodies  in  the  ways  of  thy  laws,  and  in 
the  works  of  thy  commandments  ; that  through  thy 
most  mighty  protection,  both  here  and  ever,  we  may 
be  preserved  in  body  and  soul ; through  our  Lord  and 
Savour  Jesus  Christ.  Amen. 


SANCTIFICATION  THE  FRUIT  OF 
JUSTIFICATION. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


From  what  has  been  already  said,  it  will  appear  that 
both  Redemption  and  Sanctification  are  offered  to  all 
baptized  Christians.  As  a practical  question,  it  will 
not  be  necessary  to  examine  how  far  the  offer  is  made 
to  those  who  do  not  partake  of  the  same  privileges  as 
ourselves  ; but  it  will  be  of  consequence  for  us  to  see 
how  one  who  is  not  at  the  present  moment  walking 
under  grace,  may  become  partaker  of  that  which  he 
needs, — how  he  may  become  a lively  member  of  that 
Church  of  Christ,  into  which  he  has  been  admitted, — 
how  he  may  accept  of  that  salvation  which  is  graciously 
proffered  to  him, — ^howhe  may  experience  the  renewing 
influence  of  that  grace  which  our  heavenly  Father 
promises  to  give  to  those  who  ask  him.  How  is  he  to 
begin  } Is  he  to  try  to  become  holy  that  he  may  believe 
on  Christ  Jesus  as  a Saviour  ? or  is  he  to  believe  on 
the  Saviour  that  he  may  become  holy  ? Which  is  to 
come  first  in  the  order  of  the  Christian  life.  Sanctifica- 
tion or  Justification  ^ 

I was  very  much  confused  the  other  day,  said  Euse- 
bius to  a clerical  friend,  when  a member  of  my  congre- 
gation, with  whom  I was  conversing  on  the  doctrines  of 
Justification  and  Sanctification,  asked  me  this  question, 
— Is  Sanctification  the  consequence  of  Justification, 
or  are  we  justified  because  we  are  made  holy  Now 
if  you  had  been  asked  this  same  question,  what  answer 


SANCTIFICATION,  ETC. 


79 


should  you  have  given  to  it  ? 1 should,  said  the  friend, 
have  tried  to  avoid  the  question ; I should  perhaps 
have  asked  my  applicant,  whether  men  are  made  active 
by  taking  much  exercise,  or  took  much  exercise  because 
they’  were  active  ? And  I will  tell  you  why  I should 
have  done  this.  Such  questions  are  more  frequently 
asked  out  of*  a foolish  curiosity,  than  from  any  sound 
desire  of  being  instructed  on  the  subject.  Now  the 
real  difficulty  of  such  questions  exists  full  as  much  in 
the  nature  of  things,  as  in  the  particular  case  before  us. 
Causes  and  effects  are  so  blended  together,  that  it  is 
frequently  not  easy  to  say  which  of  the  two  takes 
place  first. — Activity  disposes  the  man  to  take  exercise, 
and  taking  exercise  makes  him  active.  I do  not  mean  to 
place  this  difficulty  on  exactly  the  same  grounds  as  the 
other,  for  we  must  always  be  cautious  in  not  carrying 
our  analogies  too  far ; but  I should  be  glad  to  show 
the  applicant  that  my  silence  did  not  depend  on  my 
being  unable  to  answer  him,  but  on  my  being  unwilling 
to  gratify  a useless  curiosity.  People  take  up  logical 
difficulties,  connect  them  with  Christianity,  and  then 
attribute  the  difficulty  to  Christianity.  The  difficulties 
connected  with  predestination  did  exist,  and  would 
have  continued  to  perplex  mankind,  had  Christianity 
never  been  revealed.  They  exist  in  connexion  with 
Christianity,  but  are  not  peculiar  to  it.  So  in  this  case, 
these  two  doctrines  are  so  closely  connected  with  each 
other,  that  as  far  as  human  eye  can  see,  the  effects 
arising  from  them  always  go  on  together.  A faith  in 
Christ  as  a Saviour,  produces  holiness  of  heart  and 
of  life ; and  as  these  grow,  they  continually  tend  to 


80 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


augment  the  faith  of  the  person  so  growing  in  holi- 
ness. 

But  surely,  replied  Eusebius,  there  must  be  a right 
way  of  discussing  these  questions,  and  you  must  allow, 
that  to  try  to  put  me  off  when  I make  the  enquiry  in  a 
quiet,  humble  way,  without  giving  me  any  distinct 
reply,  is  not  likely  to  satisfy  any  one. 

Did  not  our  Lord  himself  do  this  very  thing  when 
they  asked  him  irrelevant  questions  ? 

Yes,  but  he  gave  the  answer  virtually,  while  he 
silenced  the  enquirers.  In  the  case  of  the  tribute 
money  he  virtually  said, — Why  do  you  ask  me  so 
ensnaring  a question  ? have  you  not  already  practically 
answered  your  own  question  by  employing  the  Roman 
coin } In  the  case  of  the  seven  brethren,  he  says, — 
Your  question,  however  craftily  contrived,  only  proves 
one  thing — that  you  are  judging  of  heaven  by  an  earth- 
ly standard,  and  display  your  own  ignorance  of  the 
sacred  Scriptures.  So  that  even  granting  that  my 
question  is  irrelevant,  which  I do  not  allow,  your 
answer  must  either  virtually  contain  a reply  to  my 
question,  or  I shall  still  have  the  example  to  which 
you  yourself  have  appealed,  against  you. 

And  have  I not  virtually  answered  your  question 
when  I said  that  faith  produces  holiness } 

But  then  you  said  that  holiness  produced  faith. 

No  ; I think  I only  said  that  holiness  tended  to  aug- 
ment faith ; but  if  I must  say  what  I think  on  this  sub- 
ject, I will  do  so  as  clearly  as  I can.  I omit  the  case 
of  the  Christian  who  has  never  fallen  from  that  state 
of  grace  into  which  he  was  admitted  at  infant  baptism. 


SANCTIFICATION,  ETC. 


81 


for  though  I would  never  omit  the  mention  of  the  case, 
and  though  I believe  that  the  case  may  exist,  and 
might  be  of  ordinary  occurrence  if  Christians  were 
living  in  such  a state  of  holiness  as  a community  of 
believers  might  attain  to,  yet  in  the  present  state  of  the 
world,  such  instances  must  be  so  rare  as  not  to  require 
much  discussion ; omitting,  therefore,  this,  and  refer- 
ring to  persons  situated  as  we  are,  I should  say  that 
the  pardon  must  come  before  the  holiness,  or  that  we 
must  be  justified  before  we  are  sanctified — ^we  must  be 
reconciled  to  God  before  we  can  try  to  please  God. 

Still,  said  Eusebius,  if  a father  had  banished  his  son 
from  his  presence  on  account  of  his  profligate  conduct, 
the  son  might  be  reformed,  even  without  there  being 
any  reconciliation  with  his  father ; and  the  reform  in 
the  son  might  be  the  cause  of  a future  reconciliation 
between  them. 

True,  but  had  the  father  known  what  was  taking 
place  in  the  mind  of  the  son, — had  there  been  that 
communion  between  this  father  and  son,  which  even 
the  worst  of  sinners  holds  with  our  heavenly  Father, 
how  would  your  case  stand  then  } And  consider  that 
the  sanctification  of  which  we  are  speaking,  is  not  the 
reforming  ourselves,  but  the  holiness  wrought  in  us  by 
the  floly  Ghost — not  making  ourselves  holy,  but  being 
made  holy — not  merely  the  pra3"ers  and  alms  which 
have  come  up  for  a memorial  before  God,  but  the  Holy 
Spirit  falling  on  them  that  hear  the  word.  There  are 
degrees  of  faith.  There  is,  ‘‘Lord,  I believe,  help 
thou  mine  unbelief.”  There  are  degrees  of  grace  and 
holiness  ; but  if  we  believe  in  the  doctrine  of  original 


82 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


sin,  I do  not  see  how  we  can  expect  holiness  to  be 
ingrafted,  till  the  taint  has  been  taken  away ; and  God 
commendeth  his  love  towards  us,  in  that  while  we 
were  yet  sinners  Christ  died  for  us. 

I cannot  help  beli(wing  too  that  some  light  may  be 
thrown  on  this  question  by  examining  certain  texts 
wherein  these  doctrines  are  spoken  of. 

Rom.  vi.  22 — Being  made  free  from  sin,  and  become 
servants  to  God,  ye  have  your  fruit  unto  holiness,  and 
the  end  everlasting  life. 

Where  the  steps  are,  being  made  free  from  sin,  (by 
believing  in  the  atonement  offered  by  Christ,)  ye  have 
entered  into  his  service,  and  been  made  holy.  And  it 
may  be  observed,  that  the  Greek  word  here  translated 
holiness,”  is  more  properly  rendered  by  the  term 
sanctification,”*  i.  e.  being  made  holy. 

1 Cor.  i.  30 — But  of  him  are  ye  in  Christ  Jesus, 
who  of  God  is  made  unto  us  wisdom  and  righteous- 
ness and  sanctification  and  redemption.”  Who  has 
proved  to  us  the  author  of  all  these  blessings ; having 
opened  our  eyes,  justified  us,  made  us  holy,  and  has 
brought  us  back  from  that  thraldom  into  which  we  had 
fallen.  Where  the  order  seems  to  be  justification  and 
then  sanctification. 

* ^AyicKafibg  occurs  ten  times  in  the  Epistles.  In  our  trans- 
lation it  is  five  times  rendered  “ holiness,” — five  times  “ sanc- 
tification.” In  two  of  these  five,  the  terms  are  so  nearly  equiva- 
lent that  no  great  injury  is  done  to  the  meaning  (1  Tim.  ii.  15 ; 
Heh.  xii.  14 :)  in  the  three  others  (Rom.  vi.  19  and  22  ; 1 Thess. 
iv.  7,)  the  sense  would  be  improved  by  the  adoption  of  “ sanc- 
tification.” The  w^ord  itself,  from  its  construction,  signifies 
“ being  made  holy.” 


SANCTIFICATIOM,  ETC. 


83 


1 Cor.  vi.  11 — And  such  were  some  of  you;  but 
ye  are  washed,  but  ye  are  sanctified,  but  ye  are  justi- 
fied, in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  by  the  Spirit 
of  our  God.”  Where,  at  first  sight,  the  order  seems 
reversed;  but  the  sentence  may  be  taken  thus:  Ye 
have  received  the  outward  and  the  inward  washing  of 
water  and  the  spirit ; ye  are  justified  by  being  admit- 
ted into  the  family  of  Christ,  and  are  made  holy 
through  the  Holy  Ghost.  Where  the  two  operations 
seem  to  stand  in  the  order  assumed  in  this  chapter,  but 
to  be  mentioned  twice. 

There  are  several  other  passages  where  the  two 
operations  are  mentioned  in  juxta-position,  but  they 
do  not  really  bear  on  the  question. 

More  stress  may  appear  to  be  laid  on  this  species  of 
argument  than  it  deserves  ; but  it  should  be  remem- 
bered, that  these  texts  have  been  brought  forward,  not 
to  establish  a theory,  but  merely  to  confirm  a conclu- 
sion drawn  from  other  sources.  The  argument  is 
this : By  examining  the  words  of  St.  Paul,  when  he 
is  incidentally  mentioning  the  subject,  it  would  seem 
that  the  order  here  lai(J  down  is  that  which  existed  in 
his  mind. 

And  besides,  1 think  that  the  correctness  of  the 
answer  which  I have  given  you,  may  be  confirmed,  at 
least  between  us,  by  an  appeal  to  the  Articles  of  the 
Church,  and  the  words  of  the  XVIIth  Article  do  seem 
to  me  to  set  the  question  at  rest,  as  far  as  the  decision 
of  our  own  Church,  ought  to  be  binding  on  us  as 
churchmen.  The  steps  as  laid  down  in  the  Article 
are  : The  calling.  The  obeying  the  call.  The  justifi- 


84 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTI ANITY  ? 


cation.  The  adoption.  The  being  made  like  the  image 
of  Christ  (i.e.  sanctified.)  The  good  works.  The  eter- 
nal salvation.  ‘^Wherefore  they  which  be  endued  with 
so  excellent  a benefit  of  God, — be  called  according  to 
God’s  purpose  by  his  Spirit  working  in  due  season  : — 
They  through  grace  obey  the  calling : — They  be  justi- 
fied freely  : — They  be  made  sons  of  God  by  adoption  : 
— They  be  made  like  the  image  of  his  only  begotten 
Son  Jesus  Christ : — They  walk  religiously  in  good 
works, — and  at  length  by  God’s  mercy,  they  attain  to 
everlasting  felicity.”  Here  there  is  no  separation  be- 
tween justification  and  sanctification,  but  the  one  is 
placed  before  the  other  in  the  order  which  I have 
assigned  to  them  in  my  answer.  So  again  the  order 
observed  in  the  confession  in  the  morning  and  evening 
service,  is,  spare  and  then  restore — pardon  us,  and  then 
sanctify  us ; and  to  my  ideas  the  very  nature  of  the 
case  seems  to  demand  this  order. 

But  what  makes  you  so  anxious  to  settle  this  point } 

First  for  my  own  satisfaction,  and  secondly  because 
I think  that  indistinctness  in  religious  matters  is  a 
very  great  evil.  All  men  see  that  pardon  and  restora- 
tion to  a state  of  holiness,  from  which  we  have  fallen, 
is  necessary.  Some  persons  would  make  the  whole 
to  consist  in  the  pardon,  some  in  the  re-established 
holiness,  and  the  consequence  is,  that  some  schemes  of 
religious  instruction  practically  neglect  the  atonement 
— some  seem  to  leave  out  of  sight  that  growth  in 
holiness  which  is  the  very  life  of  Christianity.  They 
do  not  look  to  the  steps  in  the  same  order  in  which 
St.  Peter  lays  them  dov  n.  Repent  and  be  baptized 


SANCTIFICATION,  F;rC. 


85 


every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus  CJhrist  for  the 
remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.”  Every  Christian  ought  from  his  baptism 
to  have  been  brought  up  and  to  have  lived  as  the 
servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  The  Holy  Ghost 
would  then  have  enabled  us  to  grow  in  grace  from  day 
to  daj^ — would  have  turned  every  external  circum- 
stance by  which  we  have  been  surrounded  into  an 
instrument  of  good  for  our  souls.  But  this  has  not 
been  our  course.  We  have  turned  aside  from  the  right 
path,  and  have  been  corrupted  by  following  the  world, 
the  flesh,  and  the  devil.  The  great  mass  of  those  who 
are  on  all  sides  of  us,  are  doing  so  still.  God  in  mercy 
hath  not  so  dealt  with  us,  as  to  allow  us  to  go  on  in  this 
broad  path  of  destruction.  He  hath  not  permitted 
iniquity  to  be  our  ruin.  He  hath  enabled  some  among 
the  mass  of  rebels  to  lay  hold  of  Christ  Jesus  once  more 
as  a Saviour.  We  are  brought,  through  means  pro- 
vided by  the  mercy  of  God,  to  a sense  of  our  real  state. 
Like  the  prodigal  we  are  enabled  to  come  to  ourselves 
— to  say  within  our  own  hearts,  ‘‘  Father,  I have  sin- 
ned against  heaven  and  before  thee,  and  am  no  more 
worthy  to  be  called  thy  son ; make  me  as  one  of  thy 
hired  servants.”  We  remember  the  words  of  St. 
John.  If  any  man  sin  we  have  an  advocate  with  the 
Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous,  and  he  is  the  pro- 
pitiation for  our  sins.”  But  when  we  have  arrived  at 
this  point,  when  we  have  reason  for  hoping  that  we  are 
accepted  as  reconciled  penitents,  as  justified  through 
the  blood  of  Christ,  many  persons  seem  to  stop  here 
and  to  be  satisfied.  They  are  perhaps,  from  their  cir- 
8 


86 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


cumstances  in  life,  apparently  shut  out  from  the  pro- 
spect of  much  external  usefulness,  and  they  forget  that 
the  work  of  sanctification  is  that  which  God  has  in 
mercy  assigned  to  every  Christian,  and  that  this  work 
is  to  becarried  on  through  the  whole  of  our  earthly 
existence.  A work  done  in  us  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
through  such  means  as  God  has  appointed.* 

The  subjects  of  a gracious  and  kind  monarch  have 
rebelled,  and  upon  being  conquered,  a free  pardon  is 
offered  to  all,  and  in  order  that  each  individual  may 
stand  with  their  king  as  he  did  before — he  must  not 
only  accept  the  pardon,  but  he  must  try  to  show  that 
he  has  again  become  a faithful  subject — and  to  do  this 
he  must  feel  once  more  towards  his  monarch  what  he 
felt  before  the  rebellion.  He  must  try  to  promote  the 
glory  of  that  monarch  by  proclaiming  the  mercy  which 
has  delivered  him,  but  he  can  never  do  this  unless  he 
feel  assured  of  the  reconciliation  granted  under  the 
free  pardon.  The  pardon  is  necessary  to  the  reconcilia- 
tion ; and  unless  the  reconciliation  takes  place,  what 
ground  have  the  pardoned  rebels  for  presuming  that 
their  pardon  is  real  ^ How  can  we  believe  that  we  are 
the  children  of  God,  unless  the  Spirit  bear  witness  with 

* In  order  to  prevent  any  mistake,  it  may  be  observed,  that 
sanctification  is  the  work  which  the  Holy  Spirit  carries  on  in 
the  human  soul,  the  process  by  which  he  renews  it,  or  makes 
it  holy.  It  is  a work  which  has  its  beginning,  its  progress,  and 
its  completion.  The  influence  of  the  Spirit  must  precede,  ac- 
company, and  follow  justification.  The  object  of  these  pages 
is  not  to  separate  sanctification  and  justification,  but  to  show 
that  a faith  in  Christ  is  the  means  by  which  we  obtain  holiness, 
and  would  be  vain  unless  it  did  so  obtain  it. 


SANCTIFICATION,  ETC. 


87 


our  spirit  that  we  are  so  ? That  we  are  the  servants  of 
God  through  Christ,  are  walking  as  the  redeemed  of 
the  Lord,  and  are  daily  preparing  for  that  better  state 
to  which  we  hope  to  be  admitted,  when  this  mortal 
shall  have  put  on  immortality. 


Grant,  O Lord,  that  as  we  are  baptized  into  the 
death  of  thy  blessed  Son  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  so 
by  continual  mortifying  our  corrupt  affections  we  may 
be  buried  wdlh  him ; and  that  through  the  grave  and 
gate  of  death,  we  may  pass  to  our  joyful  resurrection  ; 
for  his  merits,  who  died  and  was  buried,  and  rose  again 
for  us,  thy  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord.  Amen. 


MERE  KNOWLEDGE  NOT  RELIGION. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


There  is  one  common  mistake  into  which  many  of  us 
fall,  and  against  which  it  is  impossible  to  guard  with 
too  much  caution,  viz.,  that  of  mistaking  religious 
knowledge  for  religion.  No  man  can  have  been  con- 
versant with  what  is  called  the  religious  world,  without 
having  seen  that  the  religious  world  is  a portion  of  this 
world,  and  not  of  the  next.  To  say  nothing  of  those 
who  are  unconnected  with  the  Established  Church,  we 
ourselves  are  unfortunately  divided  into  so  many  parties 
that  there  are  even  in  the  Church  a variety  of  religious 
worlds.  The  world  to  each  individual  Christian  is  the 
little  circle  in  which  we  happen  to  be  placed ; and  in 
every  such  circle  their  is  much  of  worldly  feeling  and 
temper  which  will  mix  itself  up,  even  with  that  which 
ought  to  be  most  holy ; and  the  more  knowledge  and 
clearness  of  view  which  the  Almighty  has  granted  to 
us,  the  more  danger  there  is  that  we  shall  look  down 
on  others  who  do  not  appear  to  us  to  possess  these 
advantages.  There  is  hardly  any  one  who  has  felt 
much  on  religion,  whose  eye  is  not  fixed,  more  or  less 
exclusively,  on  some  one  particular  point.  This  man 
has  seen  the  evil  of  high  doctrines  accompanied  by  low 
practice,  and  he  views  religion  in  no  other  light  than 
as  the  doing  the  will  of  God.  He  forgets  those  sancti- 
fying and  consoling  truths  which  have  led  him  to  wish 
to  do  the  will  of  God ; he  forgets  that  which  induced 
him  to  fly  to  Christ  and  to  holiness.  When  then  he 


MERE  KNOWLEDGE  NOT  RELIGION. 


89 


perceives  another  Christian  whose  circumstances  have 
led  him  to  regard  the  question  under  a different  aspect 
— whose  maxim  it  is,  that  if  we  believe  rightly,  the 
fruits  of  good  living  will  necessarily  arise  out  of  a 
pure  faith — he  is  apt  to  thank  God  that  he  is  not  as 
other  men  are.  Both  may  be  partly  right  and  partly 
wrong.  Yet  it  is  not  the  knowledge,  but  the  being  in 
a state  of  holy  submission  to  the  law  of  Christ,  and  of 
active  exertion  in  the  cause  of  Christ,  which  makes  us 
Christ’s  soldiers  and  servants.  The  observation  of 
St.  James  is,  “ If  any  man  among  you  seem  to  be  reli- 
gious, and  bridleth  not  his  tongue,  but  deceiveth  his 
own  heart,  this  man’s  religion  is  vain.”  The  Christian 
of  the  present  day  to  whom  God  hath  granted  a larger 
portion  of  knowledge  on  religious  subjects,  is,  alas,  often 
rendered  ostentatiously  dictatorial  by  the  very  know- 
ledge which  puffeth  up  rather  than  edifieth.  Know- 
ledge is,  alas,  often  the  means  of  taking  off  the  bridle 
from  our  tongue.  His  views  may  be  correct,  clear,  and 
scriptural,  and  the  knowing  that  they  are  so,  may  have 
deceived  him  into  a speaking  of  others  in  such  a way 
as  he  would  not  have  spoken,  had  his  tongue  been 
bridled  by  Christian  charity.  It  is  St.  James  who  says, 
that  “ this  man’s  religion  is  vain.”  It  leads  not  to  that 
holiness,  that  meek  child-like  humility  to  which  it  was 
destined  to  have  led  its  owner.  True  religion  and 
undefiled  before  God  and  the  Father  is  this.”*  The 
way  to  worship  and  to  serve  God  is,  “ To  visit  the 

* The  word  here  translated  religion  is  dQr](jyJia  (i.  27.)  It 
means  service  of  God : worship  of  God  : that  which  an  inferior 
would  pay  to  a superior. 


8 


90 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


fatherless  and  widows  in  their  affliction,  and  to  keep 
himself  unspotted  from  the  world.”  To  perform  acts 
of  mercy  and  kindness  to  our  fellow  creatures,  and  to 
abstain  from  those  tempers  and  those  acts  which  will 
hinder  that  holiness  which  God  in  mercy  would  estab- 
lish in  our  hearts  through  his  Holy  Spirit.  Now  though 
knowledge  will  in  many  ways  contribute  to  the  spiritual 
advancement  of  the  Christian  ; though  knowledge  be  a 
great  gift,  a gift  for  which  we  shall  be  called  to  a strict 
account,  yet  God  forbid  that  we  should  mistake  know- 
ledge for  the  whole  of  the  service  of  God,  or  for  the 
chief  part  of  Christianity.  No  man  can  estimate  too 
highly  the  immense  blessing  of  possessing  correct  views 
on  topics  connected  with  this  most  important  subject, 
but  a religion  which  confines  itself  to  opinions,  however 
sound,  may  and  will  prove  vain.  Faith  and  devotion 
are  much  more  closely  joined  together,  than  the  inactive 
Christian  is  willing  to  confess,  or  to  believe ; and  many 
a pains-taking  busy  Christian  finds  it  no  easy  task  to 
learn  how  much  more  devotion  has  to  do  with  the 
heart  than  the  hand.  The  one  would  be  contented 
with  keeping  himself  unspotted  from  the  world.  The 
other  would  willingly  visit  the  widow  and  the  father- 
less. Both  would  serve  God — but  each  would  select 
a task  best  suited  to  his  own  feelings,  and  both  would 
conceal  the  truth  from  their  own  eyes,  that  the  one  is 
as  requisite  as  the  other.  Active  duties  foster  and  pro- 
mote holiness,  and  holiness  is  the  only  root  from  which 
Christian  activity  can  spring  up  to  any  advantage.  If 
we  would  be  Christians  in  reality,  as  well  as  name,  we 
must  be  devoted,  given  up  to  the  service  of  God.  We 
must  seek  the  one  thing  needful. 


MERE  KNOWLEDGE  NOT  RELIGION. 


91 


The  close  connection  here  spoken  of  as  existing 
between  knowledge  and  practice,  is  by  no  means  con- 
fined to  religious  subjects.  It  may  be  questioned 
whether  any  many  can  properly  be  said  to  know  any 
thing  which  he  does  not  put  in  practice  ; at  least  it 
may  be  safely  contended  that  if  he  act  in  opposition  to 
such  supposed  knowledge,  he  does  clearly  prove  that 
he  does  not  know — is  not  really  convinced.  Supposing 
I heard  an  agriculturist  expressing  a very  strong  opinion 
with  regard  to  a new  system  of  cultivating  a particular 
species  of  soil — I saw  that  he  spoke  with  earnestness 
on  the  point — I knew  him  to  be  a sincere  man — open 
— candid — but  I found  on  enquiry  that  his  own  fields 
were  managed  on  the  old  plan,  and  that  whatever 
might  be  the  conviction  on  his  mind,  it  extended  no 
further  than  his  mind — it  was  never  carried  out  in 
practice.  With  this  evidence  before  me,  could  I help 
doubting  whether  he  were  convinced  ? and  if  forced  to 
pass  a judgment,  must  I not  say  that  I did  not  believe 
that  he  was  convinced  ? I should  say  that  the  man  did 
not  believe  or  know  that  the  new  system  was  the  best 
system — that  he  was  not  persuaded  of  it — for  that  if 
he  had  been  so,  he  must  have  acted  on  his  persuasion. 
That  he  cannot  hiow  unless  he  do — not  merely  that  he 
will  not  understand  the  truth,  unless  he  practise  it, 
(which  I believe  to  be  true,)  but  that  no  man  can  be 
said  to  know  any  thing  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word, 
which  he  has  not  practically  tried — knowing  and  doing 
are  so  joined  together,  in  the  nature  of  things,  by  God 
— that  as  we  cannot  do  unless  we  know — so  neither 
can  we  know,  unless  we  do. 


92 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


In  a question  so  important  as  Christianity,  so  import- 
ant as  everything  must  be  which  concerns  our  eternal 
state,  it  is  positively  sinful  to  remain  in  willing  igno- 
rance. The  servant  who  knew  his  master’s  will, 
and  did  it  not,  shall  be  beaten  with  many  stripes — but 
the  servant  who  might  have  known  his  master’s  will, 
and  knew  it  not,  is  perhaps  more  guilty ; for  it  is  the 
duty  of  every  created  being  to  try  to  know  what  the 
will  of  the  Lord  is ; and  thanks  be  to  Almighty  God, 
it  is  in  England  the  fault  of  those  who  do  not  know 
the  will  of  the  Lord.  It  cannot  be  pretended  that 
enough  is  done  in  England  for  the  spiritual  instruction 
of  the  people.  As  a nation  we  are  perhaps  more  guilty 
in  this  particular  than  in  any  other — ^but  in  England 
no  man  can  be  so  placed,  as  not  to  be  able  to  learn 
what  the  will  of  the  Lord  is,  if  he  be  anxious  to  obtain 
this  best  of  knowledge.  This  Christian  country  abounds 
in  ignorance  and  infidelity — but  the  day  of  judgment 
will  convict  those  who  are  either  ignorant  or  unbeliev- 
ers, of  a great  sin,  in  not  having  employed  those  means 
which  were  placed  by  God  within  their  reach.  The 
individual  who  is  ignorant  of  the  way  of  the  Lord,  and 
does  not  try  to  learn  it,  is  guilty  of  being  careless  about 
his  salvation. 

Now  though  all  ignorance  on  these  subjects  is 
criminal,  yet  the  study  of  religious  subjects  does  not 
always  lead  to  religion.  Ignorance  is  criminal  as  far 
as  it  is  voluntary — but  there  is  a way  of  trying  to 
obtain  knowledge  on  religious  matters  which  is  equally 
dangerous.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  point  out  the 
guilt  of  those  who  seek  knowledge  without  any  desire 


MERE  KNOWLEDGE  NOT  RELIGION. 


93 


to  fulfil  the  will  of  the  Lord,  but  to  seek  it  in  a con- 
tentious temper  will  equally  obstruct  the  prospect  of 
obtaining  spiritual  improvement  from  it.  Controversy 
does  in  the  end  probably  lead  to  truth — but  it  fre- 
quently happens  that  it  does  not  tend  to  produce 
religion.  Men  may  carry  on  discussions  on  religious 
subjects  so  as  to  benefit  both  parties — ^but  they  rarely 
do  so.  If  they  carry  them  on  with  prayer  to  God,  and 
an  humble  seeking  of  the  truth,  there  may  be  great 
hope  that  they  will  become  wiser  unto  salvation — but 
this  4S  not  the  spirit  with  which  such  disputes  are 
usually  carried  on.  We  show  more  anxiety  to  estab- 
lish our  own  position,  than  to  discover  the  truth.  In 
such  discussions  we  are  apt  to  mistake  the  whole 
nature  of  a revelation  from  God.  Revelation  is  a gift 
from  God  to  man,  and  not  a discovery  of  man.  No 
man  ever  found  it  out  for  himself.  Man  would  never 
have  discovered  it,  but  God  made  it  known  to  him. 

I thank  thee,  O Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth, 
because  thou  hast  hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and 
prudent,  and  hast  revealed  them  unto  babes.”  And 
they  only  who  have  become  little  children  in  Christ 
Jesus  are  in  that  state  which  renders  us  fit  and  ready 
to  receive  the  great  truths  of  revelation — not  to  dis- 
cover but  to  receive.  All  things  are  delivered  unto 
me  of  my  Father,  and  no  man  knoweth  the  Son  but 
the  Father,  neither  knoweth  any  man  the  Father  save 
the  Son,  and  he  to  whomsoever  the  Son  will  reveal 
him” — No  man  can  come  unto  me  except  the  Father 
which  hath  sent  me  draw  him.” 

There  is  something  besides  the  mere  knowledge. 


94 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


There  must  be  a knowledge ; but  there  is  something 
which  the  man  cannot  provide  for  himself.  There  is 
a heavenly  aid.  No  man  can  know  God  except  it  be 
revealed  to  him  from  above.  The  Son  must  teach  us 
to  know  the  Father,  he  must  draw  our  hearts  to  the 
Father.  The  understanding  is  concerned,  but  there  is 
something  beyond  the  understanding.  We  cannot 
receive  that  which,  in  one  sense,  we  do  not  understand ; 
we  must  understand  what  is  meant,  and  we  must  know 
that  it  comes  from  God ; we  must  so  far  comprehend 
the  nature  of  every  declaration,  that  we  may  see  what 
practical  influence  it  ought  to  have  on  us.  But  the 
accepting  of  revealed  truth  depends  more  on  the  heart 
than  on  the  understanding.  In  religious  matters,  men 
refuse  their  assent  to  that  which  they  do  not  fully 
comprehend,  not  because  the  doing  so  is  reasonable, 
but  because  they  themselves  are  proud.  Their  hearts 
are  lifted  up  with  the  idea  of  their  own  importance, 
and  they  will  not  come  unto  Christ  to  be  saved,  be- 
cause the  so  coming  is  humiliating  to  their  feelings. 
The  first  doctrine  which  such  persons  reject,  is  that  of 
original  sin.  They  will  not  confess  that  we  are  by 
nature  very  far  gone  from  original  righteousness.  We 
do  not  understand,  say  they,  how  God  can  account  us 
sinners,  because  Adam  sinned  ! And  while  men  con- 
tinue in  this  frame  of  mind,  it  is  not  wonderful  that 
they  should  not  see  the  mere}’'  of  that  scheme  in  which 
we  are  justified  from  our  many  offences,  by  the  death 
of  our  Saviour,  and  the  free  gift  of  God.  The  question 
which  such  persons  ought  to  examine,  is  not  how  God 
does  so — not  why  God  does  so — but  whether  he  does 


MERE  KNOWLEDGE  NOT  RELIGION. 


95 


SO.  The  real  point,  at  which  a wise  man  would  look, 
is  not  why  man  should  be  very  far  gone  from  original 
righteousness,  but  whether  he  is  so.  Whether  we  are 
very  far  from  that  state  in  which  we  must  be,  before 
we  can  be  admitted  into  the  presence  of  a God  of 
holiness  ; and  this  is  a point  which  we  can  only  learn 
by  the  revelation  of  God’s  will,  and  by  fatal  experience. 
Look  at  the  law  of  God — see  what  he  commands  in 
the  Bible — what  he  commands  for  instance  in  the 
sermon  on  the  mount,  and  then  say  whether  the 
natural  temper  of  our  own  minds  be  in  conformity 
with  this,  “ Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit — blessed  are 
they  that  mourn and  say  whether  this  be  the  temper 
of  the  world — whether  the  world  does  consider  the 
poor  in  spirit,”  or  “the  mourner”  blessed.  This  is  a 
matter  of  fact,  which  any  one  may  know,  that  the 
mass  of  the  world  would  smile  at  the  idea  of  calling 
these  two  classes  of  persons  happy — blessed — blessed 
in  this  life  as  well  as  the  next.  The  Christian  who  is 
practically  acquainted  with  the  state  of  the  world, 
believes  these  declarations  to  be  strictly  true : viz.,  that 
the  man  who  is  meek,  who  is  poor  in  spirit,  is  much 
more  happy  and  contented  in  this  life,  than  the  man 
who  is  always  contentiously  striving  and  struggling  for 
his  own  rights.  That  he  has  a greater  share  of  enjoy- 
ment from  worldly  goods.  The  Christian  believes, 
that  as  to  real  happiness,  the  man  who  mourns^  who 
meets  with  what  the  world  calls  misfortunes,  and  who 
receives  them  as  coming  from  the  Lord,  is  in  a much 
more  happy  state  than  the  man  who  seems  always  pros- 
perous. We  must  understand  this,  in  order  to  believe 


96 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


it.  We  must  know  it,  in  order  to  receive  it;  but  there 
is  something  more  required  than  the  mere  assenting  to 
the  declaration.  David,  when  he  was  in  the  midst  of 
his  prosperity,  desired  to  obtain  his  neighbour’s  wife, 
and  in  order  to  do  so,  he  formed  a treacherous  plan 
of  murdering  the  husband.  All  this  succeeded  to  the 
utmost  of  his  wishes.  Uriah  was  slain  by  the  hands  of 
the  enemy,  and  the  sinful  wife  yielded  a ready  obedi- 
ence to  his  adulterous  commands.  In  all  this  was 
David  happy,  blessed } Then  God  sent  the  Prophet 
to  reprove  him,  and  he  confessed  his  sin  ; he  exclaimed 
in  heartfelt  penitence,  I have  sinned  against  the  Lord. 
Upon  this  the  prophet  answered.  And  the  Lord  hath 
put  away  thy  sin.  Now,  in  which  of  these  two  cases 
did  David  enjoy  the  most  real  happiness  ? No  doubt 
when  he  was  mourning.  If  it  were  objected  that  the 
case  is  not  a fair  one,  since  every  sinful  joy  must  lead 
to  misery,  it  must  be  considered,  that  the  question  at 
issue,  is  the  opinion  of  the  world.  Whether  mankind 
in  general  do  not  consider  him,  who  is  going  on  suc- 
cessfully in  a course  of  sin,  a more  happy  man,  than 
if  in  the  bitterness  of  his  grief  he  confessed  that  he 
had  offended  a good  and  gracious  God ; no  doubt  the 
hour  of  sincere  penitence  is  the  happiest  hour,  but  will 
the  world  think  so  We  will  take  another  example. 
Alexander  the  Great  was  perhaps  the  most  successful 
conqueror  of  antiquity ; he  carried  his  victorious  arms 
over  countries  of  which  he  scarcely  knew  the  names, 
when  he  began  his  career  of  triumphs  ; and  with  which 
we  have  only  lately  become  acquainted  by  the  exten- 
sion of  our  East  India  possessions.  Nation  after 


MERE  KNOWLEDGE  NOT  RELIGION. 


97 


nation  yielded  to  his  skill  and  the  discipline  of  his 
troops ; and  he  was  able  to  subdue  all  things,  except 
himself.  To  whom  shall  we  compare  him To  a 
prisoner  who  sat  in  pain,  in  hunger,  and  in  darkness, 
whose  feet  were  made  fast  in  the  stocks,  and  his  back 
torn  with  scourges. 

St.  Paul  was  brought  into  this  condition,  because 
he  had  tried  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  these  very 
persons,  whose  enmity  was  excited  by  his  attempt  to 
benefit  them  in  the  most  important  of  all  ways ; and 
he  was  employed  during  this  hour  in  singing  praises 
to  that  God  who  had  thought  him  worthy  thus  to 
suffer  for  the  cause  of  truth.  Let  any  reasonable  man 
say,  whether  he  would  rather  have  been  Alexander  or 
St.  Paul.  Every  one  must,  I conceive,  see  what  is 
meant  by  the  declaration,  blessed  are  they  that 
mourn but  who  can  say  that  he  knows  this,  unless 
he  has  felt  the  blessed  effect  of  religious  sorrow  in  his 
own  heart } 

Most  men  would  prefer  the  condition  of  Socrates  to 
that  of  his  accusers — would  rather  have  been  Charles  I. 
than  those  who  condemned  him.  But  we  can  hardly 
say  that  we  know  this,  unless  we  have  denied  ourselves, 
and  taken  up  the  cross  and  followed  Christ.  The  bare 
assent  of  the  mind  to  the  truths  of  revelation  is  not 
enough  ; we  must  live  as  if  that  which  we  believe  were 
true. 

In  science,  when  a new  truth  is  discovered,  every 
scientific  man  will  adopt  it,  and  act  upon  it.  In  reli- 
gion it  is  not  so  ; many  who  know  the  truth  do  not  act 
upon  it.  These  things  are  written  that  ye  might 
9 


98 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


believe,  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living 
God,  and  that  believing  ye  might  have  life  through  his 
name.”  The  mere  revelation,  the  being  written,  is  not 
enough,  ye  must  believe  in  order  to  have  life  through 
his  name.  So  again,  If  any  man  will  do  his  will,  he 
shall  know  of  this  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God  he 
cannot  know  unless  he  do.  No  man  will  be,  or  can 
be  practically  a believer,  unless  he  do  the  will  of  God. 
And  we  must  remember  that  what  is  here  spoken  of, 
is  not  a human  invention,  but  a revelation  from  above ; 
a revelation  accepted  by  man  through  the  influence  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  carried  out  into  a life  of  holiness. 


O Lord,  we  beseech  Thee  mercifully  to  receive  the 
prayers  of  thy  people  which  call  upon  Thee  ; and  grant 
that  they  may  both  perceive  and  know  what  things 
they  ought  to  do,  and  also  may  have  grace  and  power 
faithfully  to  fulfil  the  same  : through  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord.  Amen. 


THE 


CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  BACK. 


’Twas  dreadful,  when  the  accuser’s  power 
Assail’d  my  sinking  heart, 

Recounting  every  wasted  hour. 

And  each  unworthy  part. 

But,  Jesu  ! in  that  mortal  fray 
Thy  blessed  comfort  stole, 

Like  sunshine  in  a stormy  day. 

Across  my  darken’d  soul. 

When  soon  or  late,  this  feeble  breath. 

No  more  to  Thee  shall  pray. 

Support  me  through  the  vale  of  death. 
And  in  the  darksome  way. 

When  clothed  in  fleshly  weeds  again, 

I wait  Thy  dread  decree. 

Judge  of  the  world  ! bethink  Thee  then. 
That  Thou  hast  died  for  me. 


THE  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  BACK. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


We  have  seen,  in  the  last  chapter,  that  mere  knowledge 
of  religion  is  not  religion  ; but  the  knowledge  of  what 
is  right  and  wrong  is  an  element  which  must  enter 
materially  into  the  question  of  our  own  guilt.  Every 
one  who  would  compare  his  past  life  with  the  purity  of 
the  Gospel,  would  be  sure  to  condemn  himself ; but  he 
who  might  have  known  the  purity  of  the  Gospel,  and 
who  dies  in  ignorance  of  it,  must  be  equally  guilty,  and 
will  never  be  led  to  confess  his  sin,  and  to  seek  for 
pardon.  They  who  are  anxious  to  celebrate  and  extol 
the  mercies  of  God’s  sovereign  grace,  in  the  special 
calls  to  repentance,  by  which  some  favoured  individuals 
have  been  led  to  seek  for  pardon  through  a crucified 
Saviour,  are  very  apt  to  overlook  the  general  mercy  of 
that  God,  who  willeth  all  men  to  be  saved,  and  to  come 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  They  overlook  the 
blessing  of  having  been  born  and  bred  up  in  a Christian 
land,  where  the  true  light  shineth.  They  overlook  the 
guilt  of  not  knowing  the  truth.  They  see  that  God 
allows  a judicial  blindness  to  fall  on  those  who  have 
eyes  and  see  not,  but  they  do  not  consider  that,  as  far 
as  man  can  judge  on  such  a question,  they  who  are 
thus  punished,  have  incurred  the  guilt  expressed  by 
the  words,*  Their  eyes  have  they  closed.” 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  great  mass  of  a 


J latt.  xiii.  15  (ixdiLtfujaav.) 
9* 


102 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


people,  nominally  Christian,  are  living  in  a state  far 
from  what  it  ought  to  be.  That  they  are  not  in  the 
road  to  heaven.  There  are  those  who  are  living  in 
acknowledged  sin.  There  are  the  careless.  There  are 
those  who  wish  for  heaven,  but  are  not  striving  to  obtain 
it ; and  in  all  these  cases,  it  is  probable  that  the  want 
of  the  knowledge  of  what  is  right,  enters  largely  into 
the  cause  which  have  led  to  their  being  in  the  wrong 
path.  And  perhaps  no  one  thing  would  contribute 
so  much  to  the  discovery  of  the  truth,  with  regard  to 
ourselves,  as  the  careful  retrospect  of  our  past  lives. 

As  two  friends  were  one  day  talking  of  the  state  of 
the  world  around  them,  it  was  observed  by  the  younger, 
that  they  had  hardly  ever  known  a strictly  honest  man. 
I am  surprised  at  this,  said  the  other,  for  I should 
have  said,  that  in  our  own  rank  of  life,  I have  hardly 
ever  known  one  whom  I should  designate  as  dishonest. 
These  persons  were  not  so  far  apart  in  their  general 
sentiments,  as  might  have  been  expected  from  such 
opposite  declarations  ; but  they  regarded  the  word  dis- 
honest in  a different  light.  The  one  considered  dis- 
honesty to  consist  in  doing  that  which  the  laws  of  the 
land  would  punish — the  other  had  established  a high 
standard  in  his  own  mind,  and  would  have  applied, 
perhaps  uncharitably,  the  term  dishonest  to  those  who 
did  not  act  up  to  this  measure  of  honesty.  But  even 
without  the  establishing  of  a very  high  standard,  the 
position  is  much  nearer  the  truth  than  most  of  us 
should  at  first  allow.  Money  transactions  are  more 
tangible  criterions  of  right  and  wrong  than  any  others, 
because  the  money  value  enables  the  party  aggrieved. 


THE  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  BACK. 


103 


to  place  before  those  who  have  injured  him,  much  more 
definite  evidence  of  the  injury.  And  perhaps  there  is 
no  class  of  duties  which  are  so  well  understood,  and  so 
distinctly  laid  down  and  acknowledged  as  those  per- 
taining to  pounds,  shillings,  and  pence.  Observations 
when  made  on  money  matters  will  be  more  easily 
understood,  than  if  the  same  reasoning  were  applied  to 
other  subject-matter.  In  looking,  then,  at  our  own 
money  transactions,  how  few  of  us  are,  strictly  speak- 
ing, honest ; that  is,  how  few  of  us  would  do  that,  when 
we  are  not  likely  to  be  seen,  which  we  should  do  if 
our  conduct  were  placed  before  the  eyes  of  the  world. 
How  many  persons  would  do  that  as  members  of  a body 
corporate,  which  they  would  be  utterly  ashamed  to  do 
if  they  were  acting  alone.  How  many  persons,  where 
they  are  not  known,  would  do  that,  about  little  things, 
w’hich  they  would  never  have  thought  of  doing  in  their 
own  neighbourhood.  People  may  call  this  ‘‘  mean,’’ 
rather  than  dishonest,  and  perhaps  the  word  would  be 
more  appropriate,  but  the  question  before  us,  is  not 
about  names,  but  things.  There  is  a certain  credit 
attached  to  the  making  a good  bargain,  which  is  very 
seductive.  Many  a man  who  would  be  ashamed  to  do 
that  to  a poor  man,  which  would  in  any  way  injure 
him,  will  still  be  very  hard  with  a workman  when  he 
is  entering  into  a contract  with  him,  and  will  be  severe 
in  exacting  what  has  been  agreed  on.  In  England, 
he  who  charged  more  for  work,  when  done,  than  he 
would  have  agreed  to  do  it  for,  if  previously  asked, 
would  be  considered  an  unfair  workman.  Many  per- 
sons would  be  guilty  of  this,  and  perhaps  as  a general 


104 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


rule,  we  should  advise  a young  housekeeper  always  to 
make  an  agreement  before  he  entered  on  any  work,  in 
which  he  possessed  no  great  experience ; but  still,  a 
tradesman  who  charged  that  which  he  would  not  have 
charged  if  he  had  been  previously  asked  the  question, 
would  be  sure  to  meet  with  the  reprobation  of  his 
neighbours,  who  would  blame  him,  though  they  them- 
selves might  be  guilty  of  the  same  species  of  fraud.  In 
Holland,  it  used  to  be  the  custom  to  travel  by  boats  on 
the  canals  in  which  the  fare  is  fixed  and  small ; but 
there  are  frequent  carryings  of  luggage  from  one  boat 
to  another,  which  render  this  species  of  journey  much 
more  expensive  than  it  would  otherwise  be.  If  a 
stranger  accept  of  the  offices  of  the  first  porter  who 
presents  himself,  and  make  no  bargain  as  to  the 
conveyance  of  his  goods,  he  will  invariably  be  much 
imposed  on,  and  should  he  be  so  unwise  as  to  go  to  a 
magistrate,  the  only  question  which  will  be  asked  him 
is.  Did  you  make  any  agreement  ? if  not,  you  had  better 
pay  what  is  asked.  What ! more  than  double  what 
any  porter  would  have  gladly  done  it  for  ? Yes,  sir  I 
It  is  difficult  to  ascertain  the  value  of  such  work ; 
whereas,  almost  any  porter  would  have  named  a fair 
price,  had  he  been  originally  asked,  and  would  have 
done  his  work  with  fidelity.  The  same  man  will  be 
strictly  scrupulous  about  the  delivery  of  the  goods,  and 
will  charge  for  their  conveyance,  three  times  as  much 
as  he  would  have  undertaken  to  do  it  for,  and  will  be 
esteemed  honest. 

The  question  which  we  should  ask  ourselves  is  this 
— are  there  not  many  of  us  who  are  guilty  of  the  same 


THE  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  BACK. 


105 


inconsistency  ? I believe  that  if  any  man  will  review 
his  own  money  transactions  for  a year,  review  what  he 
has  done,  and  what  he  has  not  done,  about  pounds, 
shillings,  and  pence,  he  will  find  his  own  conduct, 
much  nearer  to  some  of  these  cases,  than  he  supposes. 

But  there  is  another  way  of  looking  at  the  matter. 
Every  one  has  some  standard  of  right  and  wrong,  by 
which  he  ostensibly  measures  his  conduct.  The  gam- 
bler has  one.  The  horse  dealer  has  another.  The 
retail  tradesman  has  a third.  The  stockbroker  follows 
a fourth,  and  without  venturing  to  enumerate  all  the 
specific  standards  which  we  might  find  in  the  world, 
it  may  seem  probable  that  every  individual  will  differ 
in  his  standard,  not  only  according  to  the  subject 
matter  on  which  he  deals,  but  as  to  his  interpretation 
of  the  law  by  which  he  supposes  that  he  regulates 
himself.  The  same  man  might  act  very  differently  if 
he  were  settling  the  proportions  to  be  paid  after  a 
contested  election — or  letting  a farm — or  selling  a 
horse — and  two  neighbouring  country  gentlemen  might 
vary  considerably  as  to  the  way  in  which  they  would 
settle  each  of  these  points.  Benevolus  would  be 
shocked  at  the  idea  of  not  paying  his  full  share  of  the 
bills,  though  he  never  approved  of  the  putting  forward 
of  the  candidate — but  Benevolus  was  a hard  landlord, 
and  no  one  would  deal  v/ith  him  about  a horse. 
Eugenius  never  sold  a pony  without  telling  all  its 
faults — was  kind  and  liberal  to  his  tenants — but  it 
was  no  easy  matter  to  induce  him  to  pay  his  pro- 
portion of  the  expenses  of  the  contested  election,  which 


106 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


he  had  excited  against  the  better  judgment  of  those 
who  took  the  same  view  in  politics.  Each  of  us  have 
our  own  standard  on  each  subject  on  which  we  have 
to  act.  Taking  then  your  own  standard — have  you 
always  acted  up  to  that  standard } Has  the  horse 
dealer  never  done  that  which  he  would  rather  conceal 
from  a brother  in  the  craft  ? A bishop  had  preferment 
in  his  gift,  part  of  which  belonged  to  him  as  bishop, 
and  part  arose  from  his  holding  another  office  together 
with  his  bishoprick.  He  thought  himself  bound  to  give 
away  the  preferment  which  belonged  to  the  bishoprick 
to  the  fittest  man  he  could  find  in  his  diocese.  He 
gave  away  a living,  which  was  connected  with  the 
other  source,  to  a relation  whom  he  did  not  consider 
as  eligible — and  when  a remonstrance  was  made,  his 
answer  was.  This  is  my  own — it  does  not  belong  to 
the  bishoprick.  God  forbid  that  we  should  judge  any 
one  harshly — Judge  ye  yourselves,  brethren,  that  ye 
be  not  judged  of  the  Lord — ^but  such  instances  will 
convince  any  one,  who  is  open  to  conviction,  how 
few  of  us  really  try  to  please  God.  Our  morality  is 
an  earthly  morality.  Nor  should  it  ever  be  forgotten 
that  the  standard  which  we  have  established  for  our- 
selves is  not  accidental.  Tell  me  with  whom  you  go, 
and  I will  tell  you  what  you  do.  Our  places  in  society, 
and  our  duties  are  to  a certain  degree  imposed  on  us 
— and  there  may  be  a standard  to  which  we  were 
born — but  good  men  will  contribute  to  raise  the 
standard  of  those  among  whom  they  live,  and  others 
will  lower  it.  He  who  has  been  guilty  of  three  acts 
of  meanness,  will  find  less  compunction  when  he  per- 


THE  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  BACK. 


107 


forms  the  fourth.  There  is  such  a thing  as  raising  or 
lowering  the  honour  among  thieves. 

It  is  the  combination  of  all  these  considerations, 
which  renders  it  so  impossible  for  one  human  being  to 
judge  of  another.  A poor  boy  who  was  born  and  bred 
a thief — who  had  never  known  any  other  occupation, 
scrupled  to  steal  a prayer  book  from  a church,  because 
God  would  see  him.  A clergyman  misapplied  money 
which  had  been  collected  for  charitable  purposes,  and 
would  not  allow  that  it  was  stealing  to  do  so.  Who 
shall  judge  another  ? But  who  can  look  back  upon  his 
own  past  life,  and  not  tremble  for  himself.^  not  ex- 
claim, “ God  be  merciful  to  me  a sinner  No  two 
persons  have  possessed  the  same  advantages.  No  one 
can  tell  what  advantages  others  may  have  possessed. 
And  we  all  forget  those  which  we  have  neglected  or 
rejected.  Let  any  humble  Christian  look  back  upon 
his  own  life,  and  try  to  estimate  the  number  of  advan- 
tages of  which  he  has  made  no  use. 

Many  persons  draw  a broad  line  of  distinction 
between  their  conduct  before  and  after  some  special 
impressions  made  on  their  own  minds  with  regard  to 
religion.  Before  a certain  day  they  seem  to  regard 
themselves  as  heathen — and  they  would  apparently 
argue  that  all  their  sins  committed  before  that  time 
wef'e  not  committed  against  light  and  knowledge.  Of 
course  in  a certain  sense  this  is  true.  They  did  not 
then  see  things  as  they  do  now — but  why  did  they 
not  ? Is  not  the  very  fact  that  they  closed  their  eyes 
against  light,  which  God  placed  before  them,  a great 
proof  of  their  very  guilt.  They  closed  their  eyes 


106 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


against  advantages  which  many  prophets  and  kings 
have  desired.  Is  this  no  sin  ? A pious  mother  (for 
we  owe  more  to  our  mothers  than  any  one  will  believe) 
had  laboured  hard,  and  prayed  constantly,  that  she 
might  bring  up  all  her  children  as  the  servants  of 
Christ — and  God  had  crowned  her  prayers  and  exer- 
tions with  much  apparent  success.  One  of  the  elder 
boys  had  been  sent  to  a public  school,  and  had  led 
the  life  which  many  a boy  there  leads — he  had  been 
laughed  out  of  his  habits  of  praying,  much  against  his 
will ; but  when  he  had  ceased  to  depend  on  God’s  help, 
his  downward  course  was  rapid,  and  he  had  reached 
the  head  of  the  school,  with  an  excellent  character,  but 
with  utter  carelessness  as  to^the  state  of  his  own  soul. 
His  younger  brother  was  now  sent  to  the  same  school, 
and  on  the  night  of  his  arrival  knelt  down  to  say  his 
prayers,  expecting  of  course  that  his  brother,  to  whom 
he  justly  looked  up  in  most  respects,  would  have  joined 
him  in  a custom  which  had  been  invariably  observed 
at  home — perhaps  the  elder  brother  might  have  done 
so,  but  there  were  other  boys  in  the  room,  and  he  gave 
the  poor  child  a severe  box  on  the  ear,  and  called  him 
a little  Methodist.  Was  the  guilt  of  this  elder  brother 
the  guilt  of  a heathen  ? It  shocked  the  feelings  of  a 
youth  who  had  never  been  taught  to  think  of  religion, 
and  had  the  effect  of  making  him  consider  that  atten- 
tively, which  he  had  never  regarded  before  in  any 
other  way  than  that  of  ridicule.  He  would  have 
laughed  at  the  child,  but  when  the  child  was  persecuted 
for  righteousness’  sake,  even  he  who  was  a stranger  to 
piety  himself,  could  not  but  see  the  beauty  of  it  in 


THE  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  BACK. 


109 


another,  and  the  baseness  of  the  elder  brother.  The 
idea  which  crossed  his  mind  was  this.  This  child  has 
obviousl}^  a superiority  over  both  of  us,  who  are  much 
his  superiors  in  age  and  station  in  the  school.  He  is 
not  afraid  of  showing  that  he  fears  God  more  than  man. 
If  I did  so,  if  I feared  God,  I do  not  know  that  I 
should  have  courage  enough  to  show  it,  and  here  is  a 
brother — who  must  have  had  the  same  advantages  at 
home,  who  is  so  looked  up  to  in  the  school,  that  no 
one  would  venture  even  to  ridicule  him  if  he  acted 
religiously — here  is  he,  who  allows  all  the  kind  feel- 
ings of  a brother  to  be  stifled,  merely  because  some  of 
us  are  standing  by,  who  are  conscious  of  his  ordinary 
disregard  of  what  he  must  consider  right.  I am  bad 
enough,  but  how  guilty  is  this  elder  brother.  The 
feeling  which  crossed  the  mind  of  this  boy,  was  that 
which  arose  in  the  Saviour  of  the  world  when  he  said. 
Woe  unto  thee  Bethsaida,  woe  unto  the  Chorazin.” 
The  friend  was  acquainted  with  the  domestic  history 
of  the  brothers — he  knew  the  habits  of  the  house — he 
knew  how  religious  ordinances  were  there  observed — > 
how  the  children  were  not  only  instructed  in  the  truths 
of  Christianity,  and  taught  the  outside  of  religion,  but 
how  obedience  was  the  law  of  the  house — how  God 
was  honoured  by  the  lives  of  the  parents,  how  those 
parents  laboured  in  prayer  and  in  practice  to  lead 
their  offspring  to  heaven,  through  the  paths  of  holiness. 
The  friend  knew  all  this,  and  he  said  within  himself — 
for  he  himself  belonged  to  a fashionable  household 
where  religion  was  utterly  neglected — he  said  within 

himself,  if  God  had  blessed  me,  as  I know  he  has 
10 


110 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


blessed  these  brothers,  with  all  the  Christian  knowledge 
which  they  possess,  nothing  could  have  led  me  to  act 
in  this  brutal  way — his  thought  was  correct,  but  he 
was  mistaken  as  to  the  fact.  There  is  no  lowness  in 
the  scale  of  moral  degradation  to  which  any  of  us  may 
not  fall,  if  we  cast  off  the  light  which  is  in  us.  What 
baseness  is  there  that  a man  may  not  be  guilty  of,  who 
is  deeply  involved  in  debt } And  if  it  were  not  for 
the  restraints  of  society,  how  far  may  not  any  one  have 
fallen,  who  has  given  up  the  guidance  of  religion.^  If 
God  had  enabled  any  of  us  to  carry  into  effect  every 
evil  thought  which  has  passed  through  our  minds — 
what  would  have  been  the  state  of  our  hearts  now  ? 
David’s  station  enabled  him  to  put  his  wicked  thoughts 
into  execution.  Herod’s  authority  enabled  Herodias 
to  satisfy  her  vengeance  against  St.  John. 

If  we  had  been  enabled  so  to  do — wdiat  would  have 
been  our  state  even  now  ? 

The  Church  of  Rome  has  done  a great  injury  to 
morality  by  the  use  of  the  word  venial  sins.  There 
are  sins,  negligences,  and  ignorances.  There  are  pre- 
sumptuous sins,  and  sins  of  weakness.  There  are 
some  sins  worse  than  others.  But  whoever  establishes 
a line  of  demarcation  between  sins,  lays  down  that,  of 
which  no  man  can  be  a judge.  There  are  two  stan- 
dards by  which  we  may  properly  try  to  estimate  guilt ; 
by  the  injury  done  to  others,  and  by  the  depravity  of 
the  agent.  The  first  refers  to  the  effect  produced  on 
man  ; the  second  must  depend  on  the  state  of  the 
agent,  or  the  advantages  which  he  has  neglected. 

An  old  gentleman  used  to  say,  My  brother,  (his 


THK  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  RACK. 


Ill 


brother  held  an  office  of  dignity  and  emoluments  in  the 
Church,)  my  brother  is  much  worse  than  I am — he  is 
not  a bit  better  than  I am — and  he  is  paid  for  being 
religious. 

There  was  some  truth  in  this.  The  vices  of  a dig- 
nified clergyman  would  do  more  harm  than  those  of  a 
profligate  country  gentleman.  And  the  old  man  in 
question  saw  this — he  was  in  the  habit  of  estimating, 
correctly,  the  faults  of  every  clergyman  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, and  gloried  in  them.  Poor  man  ! ! The 
condemned  criminal  might  well  pity  such  a wreck  of  a 
moral  being : but  this  man  had  brought  himself  into 
this  state,  by  neglecting  known  duties  and  known 
means  of  grace.  Compare  the  guilt  of  any  of  these 
with  that  of  a clergyman,  of  high  professions,  who 
defrauded  a charitable  institution.  Look  at  him,  if 
still  denying  his  guilt,  or  if  convinced  and  mourning 
for  his  conduct ! ! 

Ten  young  men  at  College  passed  a night  together 
in  riot  and  debauchery — one  was  the  son  of  a profes- 
sional man  in  London,  who  had  no  idea  beyond  that  of 

eat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow  we  die.”  The  second 
was  the  son  of  a pious  widow,  who  had  straitened 
herself,  and  deprived  herself  of  every  comfort  to  which 
she  had  been  accustomed,  in  order  to  give  her  son  an 
education,  and  to  place  him  in  the  same  station  in  life 
which  had  been  occupied  by  his  late  father.  The  third 
was  the  son  of  a clergyman,  who,  till  the  age  of  eigh- 
teen, had  been  educated  by  an  excellent  father  at  home, 
and  had  been  kept  free  from  every  taint  of  vice. 
Why  need  I go  on  } There  are  ten  cases,  every  one  of 


m 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


which  is  totally  different.  What  man  can  judge  of 
such  cases  ? Who  can  estimate  the  relative  guilt  of 
such  persons  ? 

Penitens  had  lived,  as  many  a man  does  in  London, 
without  a serious  thought  on  religion,  till  he  was 
married ; his  wife  was  not  religious,  but  belonged  to  a 
decent  respectable  family,  and  on  the  first  Sunday  after 
their  return  from  their  wedding  tour,  they  went  to 
church.  He  had  occasionally  taken  the  trouble  to  go 
and  hear  a popular  preacher — was  a very  fair  judge  of 
the  rules  of  Christian  eloquence — despised  ranting  and 
mannerism ; and  was  fully  sensible  of  the  influence  of 
simple  earnestness,  and  particularly  admired  it,  when 
it  was  combined  with  the  ornaments  of  correct  diction, 
vivid  illustration,  and  poetic  thoughts ; but  he  had 
never  thought  of  a sermon  as  a means  of  saving  a sinner 
from  the  error  of  his  ways,  and  leading  a soul  to  Christ. 
It  so  happened  that  their  parish  church  was  well 
warmed,  and  frequented  by  many  respectable  families 
in  their  own  rank  of  life,  that  it  was  the  fashion  of  the 
neighbourhood  to  approve  of  the  way  in  which  the 
service  was  conducted.  They  thought  it  proper  to  have 
a seat  of  their  own,  and  obtained  one,  with  as  much 
reference  to  the  salvation  of  their  souls,  as  might  have 
attended  the  contract  which  he  made  for  his  carriage. 
Thus  circumstanced,  they  began  the  habit  of  going  to 
church.  Their  attendance  was  irregular  at  first — it 
became  more  constant  after  a time — they  were  seen  at 
the  altar  before  two  years  were  over ; and  at  the  end  of 
five,  Penitens  was  the  intimate  friend  of  the  old  vicar, 
and  the  curates  were  frequent  visitants  at  his  house 


THE  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  BACK. 


113 


He  was  one  day  stating  to  an  old  friend  of  his  father’s, 
in  the  City,  the  comforts,  particularly  the  religious 
comforts,  he  enjoyed.  Why,  said  the  old  man,  you 
alwa3"s  were  a good  sort  of  fellow,  and  when  you  had 
sown  your  wild  oats,  and  were  married  and  steadied, 
you  began  to  enjoy  the  advantages  of  your  hard  work 
and  honesty  of  heart.  Young  men  will  be  young  men, 
but  you  were  always  one  whom  I liked,  and  could 
make  excuses  for,  and  you  are  now  reaping  the  reward 
of  it. 

Penitens  felt  very  differently,  but  he  perceived  the 
inutility  of  arguing  with  one  who  saw  so  little  of  the 
reality  of  things ; and  with  his  mind  full  of  these 
thoughts  he  retired  to  his  closet.  In  this  frame  of 
mind  he  began  the  retrospect  of  his  past  life.  Twenty 
years  agone,  I was,  as  to  gross  and  presumptuous  sin, 
innocent.  There  was  no  strong  impression  of  religion 
on  my  mind,  but  I had  been  taught  to  know  the  truth, 
and  I knew  the  theory  of  Christianity.  I knew  that 
my  only  hopes  of  pardon  were  through  a crucified 
Redeemer  ; my  only  hopes  of  growing  in  grace,  or 
walking  in  the  commandments  of  the  Lord  blameless, 
consisted  in  the  influence  which  the  Holy  Ghost  should 
exercise  on  my  will  and  my  conduct.  That  faith  would 
make  me  a partaker  of  the  one,  and  that  if  I desired  to 
become  a sharer  in  the  other,  I must  employ  those 
means  which  God  had  appointed.  How  did  I make 
use  of  this  knowledge  } I fell  into  evil  society.  I learnt 
evil  thoughts,  and  I delighted  in  them,  and  loved  to 
let  my  mind  roam  on  the  verge  of  evil,  long  before  I 

launched  into  the  sea  of  iniquity.  Evil  thoughts  unre- 
10* 


114 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


strained,  brought  on  evil  words,  and  evil  words  produced 
evil  deeds.  None  of  these  steps  cost  me  much  com- 
punction of  mind.  There  was  a consciousness  that  I 
was  doing  wrong,  and  when  I first  acted  very  much 
against  my  previous  habits  and  convictions,  there  was  a 
great  struggle  in  my  own  mind.  A frequent  wretched- 
ness when  I ventured  to  think  of  what  I was  doing  ; 
but  this  soon  went  off.  I kept  up  for  some  time  a 
semblance  of  propriety,  but  this  vanished  after  a time, 
and  left  me  reckless  and  rejoicing  in  iniquity.  When 
my  circumstances  enabled  me  to  keep  up  an  establish- 
ment, I married,  and  determined  to  be  faithful  in  one 
relation  of  life  at  least,  and  we  went  to  church,  and 
without  being  able  to  say,  that  any  one  preacher,  or 
any  one  sermon,  produced  an}^  very  striking  effect  on 
me,  I am  what  I am.  good  friend  thinks  me  justly 
rewarded  for  my  virtue  ; he  sees  that  I am  happy  and 
blessed,  but  he  little  estimates  the  feelings  with  which 
these  blessings  fill  my  heart.  I have  every  outward 
comfort.  I have  a peaceful  hope  that  my  sins  are  par- 
doned. I heartily  thank  God  for  all  that  he  has  done 
for  me  ; but  what  are  the  feelings  with  which  that 
thankfulness  fills  my  soul  ? Here  am  I,  for  ten  years 
of  my  life,  the  best,  the  most  active,  the  years  in  which 
my  character  was  formed  most  fully.  I rejected  God, 
and  served  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil.  I had 
been  signed  and  sealed  as  the  soldier  and  servant  of 
Christ,  and  m3"  service  was  devoted  to  the  enemy  of 
Christ.  I knew  the  means  by  v/hich  I might  advance 
in  holiness,  and  I rejected  and  neglected  every  one  of 
them.  I never  prayed,  and  I never  received  the  Lord’s 


. THE  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  BACK. 


115 


Supper.  I often  felt  compunctions  of  conscience ; God 
was  pleased  again  and  again  to  touch  me  with  the  sense 
of  m3”  guilt.  I knew  the  means  of  escape — I knew 
how  good  our  heavenly^  Father  is — the  value  of  our 
Saviour’s  blood — the  freeness  of  the  gift  of  the  Spirit 
of  God,  but  I rejected  all.  My  sins  were,  during  this 
time,  many  and  great,  but  my  great  sin  was,  that  time 
after  time,  I rejected  those  mercies  of  God  which  would 
have  led  me  to  repentance.  If  God  had  cut  me  off 
during  these  ten  years  ! ! Ah,  who  can  dwell  with 
everlasting  burnings } And  then  I look  upon  the 
companions  of  my  guilt — those  whom  I corrupted — 
those  whom  I hardened  in  sin — some  were  taken  to  a 
speedy  vengeance.  I was  spared,  yet  I went  on  in  my 
impenitence.  There  was  one  of  our  loose  companions 
who  had  turned  over  a new  leaf,  and  was  apparently 
reformed,  and  we  over-persuaded  him  once  more  to 
join  in  our  vile  enjoyments,  and  in  the  hour  of  sin,  he 
perished.  He,  the  poor  victim,  perished ; we,  the 
advisers,  survived  his  death,  and  yet  repented  not. 
Where  are  they  all  gone  ? And  yet  I live  to  partake 
of  mercy  and  comfort — 3^es,  comfort ! ! Blessed  are 
they  that  mourn.  And  what  have  been  the  means 
which  have  wrought  out  all  this  for  me  ? I attended 
church  from  a sense  of  propriety  ; to  appear  to  be  what 
I was  not,  to  my  wife  and  servants.  And  God  has 
been  pleased,  in  five  years,  to  change  me  from  a vile 
sinner  to  a humble  penitent.  I have  learnt  to  smite 
upon  my  breast.  The  service  of  the  church,  and  the 
simple  truths  which  I heard  repeated  from  the  pulpit, 
rekindled  first  those  latent  sparks,  which  ten  years  of 


116 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


carelessness  had  not  been  able  to  quench.  God  thus 
raised  up  the  will — he  gave  me  grace  to  use  the  means. 
I mourned,  I prayed,  and  used  the  ordinances  of  the 
church,  as  God’s  appointments.  I tried  to  assist  God’s 
ministers  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  and  without  knowing 
that  I have  been  able  to  do  any  good  to  others,  I know 
that  these  means  have  done  good  to  me.  Thank  God, 
I am  what  lam.  It  is  but  a mournful  thought  to  con- 
sider what  I might  have  been,  had  I been  other  than  I 
have.  I say  nothing  of  others,  now  perhaps  in  hell 
by  my  instrumentality.  God  forgive  me — Lord  have 
mercy  upon  us — Christ  have  mercy  upon  us — Lord 
have  mercy  upon  us  ; but  when  evil  passions,  evil  tem- 
pers, evil  thoughts  arise,  I say  this  is  the  just  punish- 
ment of  ten  years  spent  in  the  service  of  the  devil. 
How  different  might  I have  been,  had  I served  God  in 
those  years.  But  thank  God,  I am  what  I am,  and  he 
knelt  down  and  wept  and  prayed. 

Eusebius  was  now  drawing  to  the  close  of  life,  and 
as  his  custom  was,  he  was  passing  the  evening  before 
the  celebration  of  the  Lord’s  Supper,  in  private  self- 
examination  and  prayer.  He  had  spent  his  life  in  the 
service  of  his  Saviour  ; he  had  entered  early  into  the 
ministry — had  been  employed  in  many  various  places, 
and  had  justly  obtained  the  character  of  a faithful  ser- 
vant of  the  church.  He  had  always  been  a very  devoted 
and  active  clergyman,  and  God  had  blessed  him  in 
worldly  prosperity  beyond  his  expectations.  The  world 
called  him  a happy  man,  and  in  the  general  acceptation 
of  the  term,  he  was  so  ; but  he  was  too  well  acquainted 
with  the  law  of  God,  and  its  purity,  to  be  ignorant  of 


THE  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  BACK. 


117 


his  own  real  state,  and  he  had  violated  the  law  of  the 
Most  High,  too  often  not  to  experience  the  miserable 
consequences  of  disobedience,  and  to  be  aware  of  his 
guilt.  The  world  called  him  a holy  man ; but  he  knew 
too  well  the  actual  import  of  the  word,  to  esteem  him- 
self holy.  He  felt  that  he  was  a sinner,  and  he  felt 
that,  however  heinous  the  open  transgressions  of  others 
might  appear  to  men,  there  was  that  in  his  having 
offended,  which  made  his  guilt  much  greater  in  the 
sight  of  God.  He  thought  of  the  mercies  with  which 
his  path  had  been  strewed  ; but  he  remembered  the  use 
to  which  these  were  all  destined  by  Heaven,  and  he 
could  not  help  feeling,  that  if  others  had  been  favoured 
as  he  had  been,  they  might  have  proved  much  more 
faithful  stewards,  than  he  had  ever  done.  He  thought 
of  the  actual  sins  of  which  he  had  been  guilty,  and  they 
were  more  in  number  than  the  hairs  of  his  head.  I 
have  sinned,  said  he,  against  light  and  knowledge.  I 
have  done  wrong  against  the  suggestions  of  my  con- 
science, and  against  the  admonitions  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
God  placed  before  me  the  true  road  to  happiness,  and 
how  often  did  I turn  aside  into  some  bye  path  of  secret 
indulgence.  My  very  offices  made  me  to  partake  of 
every  means  of  grace ; my  personal  habits  prevented 
me  from  partaking  in  the  grace,  which  those  means 
were  destined  to  impart.  How  often  have  I resisted 
the  Spirit  of  God,  and  what  must  I fairly  say  of  all 
those  qualities  which  others  admire  in  me  ; they  are, 
not  only  the  gift  of  God,  but  they  have  been  forced 
upon  me,  to  speak  the  truth,  by  my  outward  circum- 
stances in  life,  and  they  are  no  further  my  own,  than 


118 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


as  I have  made  them  mine,  by  the  evils  which  I mixed 
up  with  them,  and  by  my  imperfections  with  which  I 
have  stained  them.  It  is  true,  that  as  a boy  at  school, 
I al  ways  ranked  myself  on  the  side  of  religion  ; but  this 
arose  more  from  the  character  of  my  father,  who  was 
well  known  in  the  neighbourhood ; and  as  a son,  I was 
ashamed  to  disgrace  the  professions  of  such  a father. 
It  was  a blessing  of  God,  visited  on  the  first  generation 
of  one,  who  had  kept  his  commandments.  A character 
so  established  at  school,  was  not  easily  lost  at  college ; 
and  as  my  prospects  of  academical  distinction  kept  me 
in  the  path  of  propriety  and  good  conduct,  the  outward 
appearance  of  devotion  was  maintained  without  any 
great  sacrifice.  I am  fully  sensible  of  the  blessing,  the 
advantage  of  having  been  preserved  from  those  excesses 
into  which  many  of  my  companions  fell ; but  it  was 
God’s  outward  mercy  which  preserved  me  from  external 
evil,  rather  than  that  his  grace  was  working  on  a heart, 
which  was  even  then  contaminated  with  much  which 
was  contrary  to  the  precepts  of  our  heavenly  King.  I 
am  fully  sensible  of  the  advantage,  but  I know  where 
all  the  praise  is  due,  for  I cannot  but  look  back  to 
those  hours,  in  which  others  esteemed  me  religious, 
though  I was  by  no  means  devoted  to  God,  I was 
indulging  in  many  evil  habits  of  mind — wilfully — con- 
stantly— I was  outwardly  God’s  servant,  but  I was  not 
then  a faithful  servant,  not  in  the  lowest  sense.  I did 
not  even  wish  to  serve  God  faithfully.  Evil  habits  of 
mind  are  not  easily  kept  within  the  boundaries  of  the 
mind ; they  soon  show  forth  themselves  in  evil  acts, 
and  one  who  continues  outwardly  to  serve  God,  who 


THE  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  BACK. 


119 


in  some  respects  does  serve  God  with  zeal  and  activity, 
may  still  be  falling  into  habits  which  shall  make  him 
know  more  harm  of  himself,  then  of  any  soul  on 
earth.  It  was  these  habits  which  stood  between  me 
and  advancement  in  holiness.  God,  I trust,  never  cast 
me  off.  I trust  that  I never  cast  off  God  ; that  I should 
always  have  laid  down  my  life  in  the  cause  of  Chris- 
tianity ; but  I did  not  lay  down  my  prejudices,  I did 
not  lay  down  my  evil  tempers,  nor  my  unholy  habits  ; 
and  they  constantly  stood  between  me  and  my  Christian 
advancement  in  holiness.  The  thought  which  now 
comes  across  me,  and  fills  me  with  sorrow  and  dismay, 
is  this  : Christ,  in  his  mercy,  has  called  me  to  pardon 
and  to  peace — I have  long  accepted  his  gracious  offer, 
closed  with  the  terms  of  mercy,  not  merely  in  the 
formal  act  of  his  blessed  sacrament  of  Baptism,  but  by 
the  joyful  devotion  of  half  a century.  I have  uniformly 
been  made  acquainted  with  the  means  by  which  I might 
grow  in  grace,  and  have  in  some  degree  used  those 
means ; but  how  far  below  what  I might  have  been  in 
Christian  holiness  have  I fallen,  through  my  own  wilful 
disobedience.  If  I had  been  as  constant  in  private 
prayer,  as  earnest  in  my  closet,  as  I was  regular  in  my 
outward  duties,  how  should  I have  escaped  those  temp- 
tations, through  which  I have  fallen,  and  been  supported 
by  a grace,  which  would,  if  asked  for,  have  been  vouch- 
safed. If  my  devotional  study  of  the  Bible  had  been 
as  strenuously  pursued,  as  the  preparation  for  exhibiting 
myself  in  public  as  the  minister  of  the  sanctuary,  my 
knowledge  of  the  Word  of  God  would  have  proved  no 
less  critically  valuable,  and  it  would  have  made  me  a 


120 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


more  efficient  expounder  of  the  book  of  life,  when  I 
needed  its  assistance  to  guide  myself,  or  to  instruct  my 
flock.  If  I had  made  use  of  the  means  of  holiness  and 
usefulness  which  God  put  into  my  hands,  how  different 
a man  should  I now  have  been.  God  in  his  mercy 
never  cast  me  off : and  as  he  wiped  away  the  falling 
tear,  he  added,  and  he  never  will  cast  me  off.  But 
that  is  owing  to  his  mercy,  and  not  to  any  thing  of 
mine.  He  gave  me  the  means  to  have  become  as  it 
were  an  angel  on  earth,  and  alas  ! alas  ! I am  but  a poor, 
weak,  guilty  sinner. 


Almighty  and  everlasting  God,  who  hatest  nothing 
that  thou  hast  made,  and  dost  forgive  the  sins  of  all 
them  that  are  penitent ; create  and  make  in  us  new 
and  contrite  hearts,  that  we,  worthily  lamenting  our 
sins,  and  acknowledging  our  wretchedness,  ma}^  obtain 
of  thee,  the  God  of  all  mercy,  perfect  remission  and 
forgiveness  ; through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  Amen. 


THE 


CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  FORWARD. 


MY  GRACE  IS  SUFFICIENT  FOR  THEE. 


Sweet  word  of  promise,  be  thou  near 
To  comfort  and  refresh  my  soul, 
When’er  the  dark’ning  shades  of  fear. 
Across  faith’s  cheering  landscape  roll. 

When  memory  tells  her  fearful  train. 

Of  vows  inscribed  in  fleeting  sand, 

Of  weak  resolves  and  purpose  frail, 

Be  thou,  blest  comforter,  at  hand. 

Speak  thou  of  all-prevailing  prayer, 

Sure  title  to  celestial  aid. 

Of  Him  who  will  the  contrite  spare. 

Of  hope,  on  One  that’s  mighty  laid. 

The  soul  most  humbled  for  its  guilt. 

Most  self-abased,  and  self-abhorred. 

May  yet  be  strong,  where  strength  is  built 
Upon  the  promise  of  the  Lord. 


THE 


CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  FORWARD. 


CHAPTER  X. 


It  is  often  curious  to  observe,  how  the  same  general 
premises,  will  lead  minds  differently  constituted,  to 
conclusions  diametrically  opposite  to  each  other. 

After  having  read  what  goes  before,  one  man  might 
rightly  say,  “ It  all  depends  on  the  grace  of  God  and 
another  might  express  himself,  in  sorrow,  by  declaring 

How  all  has  depended  on  myself and  this  in  a great 
measure,  according  to  the  state  of  the  individual.  If 
he  be  in  the  way  to  heaven,  he  sees  clearly,  that  it  is 
only  God’s  grace  and  mercy  which  is  guiding  him  there. 
If  his  footsteps  be  in  the  path  to  hell,  it  is  his  own  per- 
verseness which  is  the  cause  of  his  ruin.  God  would 
have  saved  him.  God  has  placed  the  path  of  peace 
before  him,  the  offer  of  pardon,  and  the  means  of  grace  ; 
but  he  has  neglected  both — he  has  rejected  both. 
When  therefore  the  sincere  Christain  looks  forward  to 
his  future  life,  and  endeavours  to  trace  a course  which 
shall  end  in  everlasting  hapiness,  he  will,  according 
to  the  previous  circumstances  which  have  retarded  him 
in  his  heavenward  journey,  frame  to  himself  plans  and 
regulations  which  shall  obviate  what  has  before  hindered 
him  in  running  the  race  which  is  set  before  him.  These 
hindrances  may  be  divided  into  two  heads  : the  neglect 
of  means,  and  the  trusting  in  means.  He  who  neglects 
means  which  God  has  appointed,  will  have  no  right  to 


124 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


complain  if  he  obtained  not  the  grace  which  those  means 
were  destined  to  confer.  He  who  trusts  in  the  means, 
trusts  in  an  arm  of  flesh. 

Eubulus  was  gifted  by  nature  with  every  superior 
talents  ; he  was  blessed  with  a strong  feeling  of  religion, 
and  was  in  most  of  the  circumstances  of  life  a man  to 
whom  a friend  might  point  as  an  example  worthy  of 
the  love  and  admiration  of  his  fellow  creatures.  His 
misfortune  was,  that  his  appetite  was  strong ; and  his 
fault  was,  that  he  had  indulged  this  craving  of  his 
stomach,  till  his  animal  desires  had  mastered  his  pru- 
dence, and  got  the  better  of  his  sense  of  Christian  self- 
denial.  His  punishment  was,  that  he  suffered  much 
bodily  distress  for  many  years — that  his  Christain  use- 
fulness was  greatly  diminished,  he  was  sore  let  and 
hindered  in  running  the  race  which  was  set  before  him. 
Had  Eubulus  learnt  early  in  life  that  this  sort  goeth 
not  out,  but  by  prayer  and  fasting,”  how  different  might 
have  been  his  course. 

Now  if  Eubulus  at  the  age  of  fifty  were  reading  these 
pages,  and  determined  to  frame  for  himself  a plan,  by 
which  he  might  walk  forward  towards  eternal  joy,  he 
might  see  that  his  safety  must  depend  on  the  adoption 
of  wise  regulations  with  regard  to  his  body ; and  on  the 
grace  of  God,  which  should  enable  him  to  carry  out 
these  plans,  and  grant  a blessing  upon  them.  He  would 
determine  by  fasting,  not  to  expiate  his  former  gluttony, 
but  to  create  a habit  of  self-restraint,  from  the  want  of 
which  he  had  again  and  again  fallen.  Such  a man,  on 
looking  back,  would  probably  remember  many  occasions 
on  which  he  had  made  resolutions  of  the  same  descrip- 


THE  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  FORWARD. 


125 


tion,  but  his  determination  had  vanished  into  empty- 
air,  and  brought  forth  no  visible  effect.  This  seed  w^as 
sown  on  stony  ground,  and  when  the  sun  arose — when 
he  was  forced  to  give  up  that  which  he  had  loved,  and 
which  had  by  self-indulgence  acquired  a power  over 
him,  the  blade  of  good  resolutions  withered,  and  came 
to  nothing.  Perhaps  it  is  hard  to  state  the  cause  of 
the  failure  of  Euhulus.  He  knew  what  was  needed — 
he  had  from  time  to  time  tried  to  adopt  the  means 
which  would  have  led  him  right.  Does  he  dare  say 
that  God  did  not  give  him  the  power  of  self-denial  ? 
That  he  could  not  have  gone  on  ? He  did  not,  and  herein 
is  his  guilt.  It  might  have  happened  that  his  eyes 
were  blinded  as  to  the  cause  of  his  self-corruption.  No 
doubt  flesh  and  blood  would  have  resisted  the  adoption 
of  any  strict  system  of  abstinence  ; but  he  could  hardly 
have  blinded  his  eyes  against  so  obvious  a truth. 

Mundanus  was  a clever  intelligent  man,  who  had  not 
been  blessed  with  a religious  education,  but  had  gone 
through  the  usual  course  of  study,  had  been  ordained, 
and  had  held  a small  living  in  the  country  for  many 
years.  He  was,  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  term,  a 
very  respectable  man.  He  left  his  living  worth  many 
more  pounds  a-year  than  he  found  it,  and  while  he 
had  thus  prospectively  benefitted  his  successors,  he  had 
amassed  a considerable  sum  of  money.  He  had  always 
been  a prudent  thrifty  man  about  the  things  of  this 
world,  and  when  he  came  to  die,  he  expressed  himself 
ready  to  go  and  meet  his  Judge,  and  to  render  up  an 
account  of  his  stewardship.  He  felt  much  self-satis- 
faction that  he  should  leave  a considerable  property  to 
ll"' 


126 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


his  poor  relations,  and  complacently  declared  that  he 
trusted  in  the  merits  of  his  Redeemer.  While  he  was 
in  this  state,  a pious  neighbouring  clergyman  paid  him 
a visit,  and  being  sadly  shocked  at  the  condition  in 
which  this  poor  man  was  dying,  evinced  by  his  coun- 
tenance that  he  did  not  sympathize  with  Mundanus. 
Mundanus  perceived  the  effect  produced  on  his  neigh- 
bour’s mind,  and  having  a great  respect  for  the  man, 
and  a real  mistrust  in  his  own  declarations,  conjured 
him  to  speak  the  truth.  My  good  friend,  said  the 
other,  I am  not  your  judge,  and  I know  too  much  ill  of 
myself,  and  am  too  well  acquainted  with  the  difficulty 
of  judging  another,  to  venture  to  say  anything  to  you  ; 
bat  as  you  conjure  me  in  so  strong  a manner,  I will 
speak  the  truth,  and  tell  you  what  was  passing  through 
my  mind.  God  forgive  me,  but  I said  within  myself, 
how  strong  an  illustration  is  this  of  the  text  of  Scrip- 
ture ; ‘‘  If  the  light  which  is  in  thee  be  darkness,  how 
great  is  that  darkness.”  The  light  which  has  been  in 
you,  has  been  worldly  prudence,  if  it  be  worthy  of  such 
a name,  it  is  a talent  for  making  the  most  of  pounds, 
shillings,  and  pence — for  it  is  not  more  than  this ; and 
instead  of  the  light  which  would  have  led  you  to 
heaven,  you  have  substituted  this  light  which  has  ruined 
you.  God  sent  you  into  the  w^orld  that  you  might  so 
pass  through  things  temporal,  as  finally  not  to  lose  the 
things  eternal.  The  children  of  this  world  are,  in  their 
generation,  wiser  than  the  children  of  light.  You  have 
been  seeking  things  temporal,  and  you  have  succeeded. 
I have  been  seeking  heaven,  and  I can  see  fifty  cases 
in  which  you  have  acted  with  much  more  zeal  and  dis- 


THE  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  FORWARD.  127 

4 

cretion,  in  your  work,  than  I have  done  in  mine.  God 
sent  us  into  our  two  parishes,  that  we  might  become  the 
means  of  improving  the  temporal,  as  well  as  eternal 
interests  of  our  flock.  You  must  confess  that  you 
have  utterly  neglected  the  spiritual  care  of  your  people ; 
and  though  you  have  well  farmed  and  managed  the 
glebe,  I do  not  think  that  your  success  in  the  temporal 
prosperity  of  your  people  has  been  great ; but  think  for 
one  moment  of  the  spiritual  state  of  your  parish  ! how 
many  souls  are  there  even  now,  who  ought  to  have 
been  taught  by  you — who  ought  to  have  been  warned 
by  you — who  ought  to  have  been  reproved  by  you — they 
are  gone,  and  who  can  say  how  far  you  may  have  to 
answer  for  their  ruin  ! He  would  have  gone  on,  but 
he  was  interrupted.  You  judge  very  harshly  of  me, 
said  the  sick  man.  I judge  not,  I tell  you  what  I was 
thinking  of — I may  be  wrong — I hope  I am  ; and  here, 
after  mutual  declarations  of  love  and  good  will,  they 
parted.  The  poor  man  neither  saw  his  sin,  nor  would 
he,  had  he  been  framing  a plan  for  his  future  life,  have 
seen  the  remedy.  Indeed,  it  is  very  difficult  to  say 
what  human  means  could  be  taken  to  give  light  to  such 
a state  of  darkness.  But  it  will  make  any  man  who 
cares  for  his  soul,  not  only  say,  how  great  is  that  dark- 
ness, but  make  him  pray  and  strive  that  he  may  never 
fall  into  such  a state.  Our  Saviour  said  to  the  young 
man,  Sell  all  that  thou  hast  and  give  to  the  poor 
and  perhaps  this  may  be  the  only  step.  No  doubt  in 
early  life,  this  poor  man  stifled  the  wish  to  give  of  his 
substance.  His  present  state  is  not  the  effect  of  acci- 
dent, but  much  of  his  wrong  conduct  may  be  due  to  a 


128% 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


wrong  light  at  first.  Had  he  devoted  a portion  of  his 
temporal  wealth  to  the  use  of  the  destitute ; had  he 
tried  to  follow  such  rules  of  doing  good,  as  his  profes- 
sion imposed  on  him ; had  he  used  the  most  obvious 
means  of  serving  God,  he  could  not,  humanly  speak- 
ing, have  ever  arrived  at  his  present  condition. 

Operosus  had  fallen  into  debt,  when  young,  and  been 
led  to  do  what  he  was  utterly  ashamed  of ; his  fault 
had  cured  his  carelessness,  but  it  converted  a spendthrift 
into  a miser.  He  took  means  never  to  run  in  debt 
again ; but  there  was  no  reference  to  God  in  what  he 
did,  and  he  was  cured  of  one  fault,  by  adopting  another, 
and  the  last  state  of  that  man  was  worse  than  the  first. 

Pietosus  had  fallen  into  evil  habits  early  in  life,  and 
was  convinced  of  his  error,  and  begged  pardon  again 
and  again  with  sorrow  and  sincerity.  But  he  never 
adopted  the  only  steps  by  which  the  repetition  of  his 
sin  would  have  been  prevented ; and  he  continued  for 
many  years  of  his  life,  sinning  and  repenting,  never 
casting  off  God,  but  constantly  doing  that  which  would 
most  justly  have  led  God  to  cast  him  off,  had  not  God’s 
mercy  been  greater  than  our  offences.  He  prayed  fre- 
quently, but  never  strove ; he  wished  to  enter  in,  but 
he  never  strove ; he  never  adopted  such  means  to  get 
the  better  of  his  sin  as  common  sense  would  have  dic- 
tated, had  it  been  a question  of  earthly  policy.  It  is 
not  for  man  to  say  that  he  may  not  have  been  par- 
doned— but  a child  can  see  that  he  is  not  growing  in 
grace. 

Minds  differently  constituted,  are  more  apt  to  fall 
into  the  one  or  the  other  of  these  errors  of  attaching 


THE  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  FORWARD. 


129 


too  much,  or  too  little  importance  to  the  use  of  means. 
We  are  all  in  danger  of  both,  but  more  in  danger  of 
the  one  than  the  other.  Whole  classes  of  persons, 
schools  of  religion,  if  we  may  call  them  so,  are  exposed 
to  the  same  peculiarity  of  danger ; and  in  forming  a 
plan  of  safety  for  the  time  to  come,  our  security 
depends  on  our  rightly  estimating  our  peculiar  peril. 
He  who  pretends  to  trust  to  the  grace  of  God,  without 
adopting  any  human  means  for  keeping  up  his  devo- 
tion, is  but  mocking  his  Maker.  He  who  adopts  the 
means  without  constant  reference  to  a higher  power,  is 
trying  to  force  a camel  through  the  eye  of  a needle. 
Sanctification  is  the  effect  wrought  in  us  by  the 
grace  of  God,  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  not  hy  ourselves,  but 
generally  through  ourselves.  The  outward  means  are 
systematic  instruction,  enabling  us  to  know  the  will  of 
God,  from  the  word  of  God — systematic  prayer,  public, 
domestic  and  private — the  use  of  appointed  means — as 
the  sacraments.  Systematic  self-denial ; comprehend- 
ing such  bodily  restraints  as  shall  bring  the  body  into 
subjection  to  the  better  part  of  man.  Systematic  alms- 
giving, and  in  order  to  prevent  our  failing  in  these, 
systematic  self-examination.  The  act  is  the  outward 
means — the  going  to  church ; the  kneeling  down 
regularly  in  private  ; the  fasting  ; the  avoiding  society 
which  is  apt  to  betray  us  ; the  avoiding  some  expense 
for  the  sake  of  having  money  to  give  away ; the  giving 
away  a certain  proportion  of  our  income  ; the  writing 
down  notes  of  our  spiritual  state  at  certain  periods : these 
are  all  means,  very  useful  means,  but  he  must  have  very 
little  experience  who  relies  much  on  such  means.  He 


130 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


who  trusts  to  pra^^er  alone  to  prevent  his  sin,  will  more 
frequently  find  that  his  sins  stop  his  prayers.  Fasting 
may  turn  the  mind  from  evil  thoughts,  but  evil  thoughts 
will  more  frequently  prevent  us  from  using  due  absti- 
nence. He  who  tries  to  overcome  evil  without  em- 
ploying means  (not  means  of  his  own  invention,  but 
such  as  God  has  appointed,)  is  throwing  himself  from 
the  pinnacle  of  the  Temple,  because  God  has  given  his 
angels  charge  over  him.  He  who  trusts  in  the  means, 
without  due  and  entire  reference  to  Him  who  appoint- 
ed the  means,  “ is  resting  on  a broken  reed,  on  which, 
if  a man  lean,  it  will  go  into  his  hand.”  Therefore,  in 
framing  plans  by  which  we  may  be  enabled  to  over- 
come the  evil  which  is  within  us ; by  which  we  may 
walk  circumspectly,  not  as  fools,  but  as  wise.”  We 
must  have  the  eye  fixed  on  both  these  truths.  We 
must  employ  every  one  of  those  instruments  with 
which  the  great  Captain  of  our  salvation  hath  fur- 
nished us.  We  must  put  on  the  whole  armour  of 
God,  that  we  may  be  enabled  to  stand  in  the  day  of 
trial.  God  is  faithful,  who  will  not  sufiTer  you  to  be 
tempted  above  that  ye  are  able,  but  will,  with  the 
temptation,  also  make  a way  to  escape.”  He  promises 
not  to  free  us  without  a way^  but  through  a way  pro- 
vided by  himself;  not  by  an  invention  of  man,  but  by 
a gift  of  God.  When  David  conquered  Goliah,  it  was 
not  with  the  weapon  which  Saul  had  provided,  but  by 
the  smooth  stone  out  of  the  brook,  which  the  Lord  had 
made  ready.  But  the  victory  was  gained  by  a smooth 
stone  and  a sling,  and  not  by  a miracle.  By  such  a 
missile  as  a wise  commander  might  have  selected,  and 


THE  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  FORWARD. 


131 


which  was  chosen  by  a merciful  and  almighty  God. 
Man’s  wisdom  might  have  selected  such  a missile  as 
best  adapted  to  the  prowess  of  the  youthful  champion, 
but  it  was  the  arm  of  the  Lord  which  gave  it  its 
efficacy.  When  our  Saviour  fed  the  five  thousand,  it 
was  with  the  loaves  and  the  fishes  which  were  already 
there.  It  was  his  power  which  made  them  adequate 
to  the  object,  but  he  employed  the  means  which  were 
present  to  his  hand. 

The  lessons  which  all  these  considerations  seem  to 
teach  us  is  this,  that  God  has  appointed  means — that 
it  is  man’s  duty  to  employ  the  means  appointed  by 
God — but  that  our  success  must  depend  on  God’s 
blessing  the  means,  and  that  the  Almighty  will  force 
us  to  perceive  that  our  success  is  due  unto  the  Lord — 
that  it  is  God’s  gift,  and  not  our  working  out.  Chris- 
tianity might  be  preached,  as  it  was  at  first,  without 
a paid  ministry,  but  when  countries  are  prepared  to 
entrust  their  defence  to  unpaid  armies,  then  may 
Christian  statesmen  rely  on  an  unpaid  ministry.  Till 
then  they  are  bound  to  use  the  same  human  means  for 
the  attainment  of  safety  against  spiritual  as  against 
temporal  enemies.  And  if  they  look  to  the  Bible  they 
will  find  that  the  priesthood  was  very  amply  provided 
for,  under  that  dispensation  wdiich  was  given  to  man 
by  God  himself — that  God  has  ordained  that  they 
that  preach  the  Gospel  should  live  of  the  Gospel. 
Establishments  will  not  secure  the  prevalence  of 
Christianity.  The}^  may  even  endanger  its  purity  and 
safety.  But  let  any  man  look  at  the  state  of  the  dense 
population  of  England — consider  the  danger  we  are 


132 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


in,  from  heathenism  and  chartism — and  say  whether 
as  a people  we  are  not  reaping  the  just  fruit  of  ne- 
glecting the  religious  cultivation  of  our  poor  brethren. 
Men  may  talk  of  the  separation  of  Church  and  State. 
They  cannot  be  divided.  They  may  exist  without  any 
very  great  connexion.  There  is  a greater  and  a 
less  connexion.  The  one  may  interfere  with  and 
tyrannize  over  the  other.  It  is  an  union  in  which 
one  or  both  parties  may  do  right,  or  do  wrong.  But 
if  God  has  ordained  that  kings  should  be  the  nursing 
fathers  and  queens  the  nursing  mothers  of  his  Church 
— woe  be  to  those  who  govern  without  trying  to  fulfil 
this  part  of  their  duty — and  woe  be  to  the  Church 
which  is  not  in  subjection  to  the  civil  authority  of 
those  whom  God  hath  ordained  to  be  a terror  to  evil 
doers,  and  a praise  to  them  that  do  well.  The  reason- 
ing which  is  here  applied  to  a kingdom,  is  equally 
applicable  to  individuals,  or  to  smaller  societies. 
Unless  the  appointed  means  be  used,  religion  will 
never  flourish  in  a parish,  in  a family,  or  in  the  heart 
of  the  individual.  Unless  we  study  the  Bible  we  shall 
never  understand  the  Bible.  And  why  should  a 
reasonable  man  expect  to  learn  theology  without  the 
aid  of  duly  educated  instructors,  when  he  would  seek 
for  their  assistance  on  any  other  subject  ^ Does  not 
even  our  Lord  refer  us  to  the  greater  prudence  of  the 
children  of  this  world,  and  teach  us  to  learn  his  will 
by  studying  his  will,  as  we  would  become  proficients 
in  any  other  branch  of  knowledge,  by  labouring  to 
acquire  that  branch  f He  who  in  his  system  of  religious 
duties  substitutes  hearing  the  word,  for  doing  the  will. 


THE  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  FORWARD. 


133 


who  listens  to  sermons,  and  neglects  prayer,  self-denial 
and  alms-giving,  acts  as  the  student  of  an}^  other  art, 
who  allows  theory  to  take  the  place  of  practice.  A 
rich  old  gentleman,  who  was  a most  regular  attendant 

at chapel,  and  whose  seat  was  well  lined,  and 

stood  not  far  from  the  stove,  who  in  the  punctual 
recurrence  of  family  prayers,  always  selected  for  him- 
self the  softest  cushion,  and  the  warmest  place,  laughed 
heartily  at  the  idea  of  an  Archbishop  of  Canterbury 
who  submitted  his  back  from  time  to  time  to  the 
scourges  of  his  confessor ; and  when  he  saw  that  a 
clerical  friend  with  whom  he  was  talking  did  not  seem 
to  view  the  matter  in  the  same  light,  he  said,  “ You 
surely  cannot  think  that  this  was  necessary  for  his 
sanctification.”  No,  replied  his  friend,  I do  not.  I 
conceive  that  Beckett  misunderstood  the  nature  of  that 
self-denial  which  he  attempted  to  put  in  practice  ; but 
I cannot  help  believing  that  the  Christian  who  avoided 
every  inconvenience  to  which  religion  would  expose 
him — ^who  never  denied  himself  one  luxury  of  the 
table  or  of  his  person,  by  way  of  keeping  his  body  in 
restraint — who  is  never  ready  to  open  his  purse,  be- 
cause he  loves  money — who  never  denied  himself  one 
expense,  that  he  might  have  to  give  to  him  that  needeth 
— whose  one  object  in  life  is  to  please  himself,  has 
more  entirely  lost  sight  of  the  nature  of  self-denial 
— has  made  a much  greater  mistake. 

The  housekeeper  who  never  makes  an  analysis  of 
his  annual  expenditthre,  may,  if  he  be  generally  pru- 
dent, go  on  without  any  great  peril  of  becoming 

insolvent ; but  he  is  certainly  not  likely  to  make  the 
12 


134 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


most  of  his  income.  The  Christian  who  never  exam- 
ined what  proportion  of  his  property  he  expended  in 
alms-giving,  nor  divided  the  sum  so  devoted,  under 
several  heads,  may  be  doing  what  God  would  have 
him  to  do ; he  may  not  let  his  left  hand  know  what 
his  right  hand  doeth  but  he  has  hardly  yet  learnt  the 
meaning  of  the  words,  ‘‘Make  to  yourselves  friends 
of  the  mammon  of  unrighteousness  ” — he  is  hardly  try- 
ing to  do  the  greatest  possible  quantity  of  good  with 
that  money  of  which  God  has  made  him  the  steward. 
In  the  use  of  means  fellow  sinners  must  not  dictate  to 
each  other — we  have  no  right  to  insist  on  the  employ- 
ment of  any  means  which  are  not  sanctioned  by  the 
command,  or  advice,  of  our  great  Master — but  unless 
we  are  employing  means,  we  are  not  walking  circum- 
spectly. And  we  may  observe  the  great  mercy  of  God 
in  the  placing  the  means  of  grace  so  much  before  us, 
as  he  has  done.  Consider  the  blessing  which  the 
ministers  of  God  are  to  his  people.  This  is  a Divine 
appointment  and  not  a human  invention.  And  who 
can  say  that  they  who  reject  the  guidance  of  God’s 
appointed  servants,  may  not  be  rejecting  the  means 
which  God  has  destined  for  their  spiritual  well-being  ? 
People  may  say  that  these  observations  are  dictated 
by  the  force  of  professional  prejudice,  and  I close  the 
subject  lest  it  should  offend  those  who  would  otherwise 
admit  the  force  of  the  reasoning,  with  reference  to 
their  personal  advancement  in  holiness  ; but  I am  sure 
that  the  general  reasoning  is  true,  that  sanctification  is 
the  gift  of  God,  and  given  as  he  pleases,  not  as  we 
choose  to  presume. 


THE  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  FORWARD. 


135 


In  looking  at  means  whereby  we  may  be  sanctified, 
there  are  two  classes  of  instruments,  both  appointed  by 
God ; the  one  selected  by  ourselves  and  applied  to  our 
improvement,  while  in  the  application  of  the  others, 
we  have  no  more  to  do,  than  to  endeavour  to  apply 
them  to  our  spiritual  good.  The  first  class  will  embrace 
plans  of  study,  prayer,  and  usefulness  : the  latter  will 
consist  in  our  circumstances  in  life,  and  the  external 
advantages  or  disadvantages  which  are  thrown  in  our 
way.  Our  sanctification  depends  on  the  right  use  made 
of  each  of  these.  No  man  can  be  safe,  who  has  not 
laid  down  for  himself  rules  with  regard  to  each  of  the 
former  means  of  grace.  His  natural  temperament  and 
circumstances  will  suggest  which  are  most  required  for 
him,  personally  ; but  when  he  comes  to  die,  he  will 
probably  see  that  his  success  in  the  use  of  these,  has 
depended  more  on  what  he  has  not  done,  than  on  that 
which  his  own  prudence  has  achieved.  That  our  being 
such  as  we  are  in  holiness,  has  depended  more  on  that, 
over  which  we  had  no  control,  than  on  that  which  we 
have  selected  for  ourselves.  That  we  are  holy  because 
God  has  not  granted  our  wishes,  rather  than  because 
we  have  obtained  that  for  which  we  wished.  And  that 
the  ordinary  and  most  common  means  of  grace,  are 
those  which  have  produced  the  most  effect  upon  our 
souls,  e.  g*.,  we  shall  find  that  the  institution  of  the 
Sabbath,  and  the  observance  of  it,  such  as  it  has  been 
forced  upon  us  when  young,  and  carried  on  from  habit 
perhaps  more  than  principle,  has  had  more  to  do  with 
our  present  sense  of  religion,  than  any  other  visible 
means  of  grace  ; in  short,  that  throughout  it  has  been 


136 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


more  God’s  doing  than  our  own  doing.  But  at  the 
same  time,  we  shall  find,  that  whenever  we  neglect  the 
means  which  are  in  our  own  power,  then  we  fall,  and 
render  the  general  and  special  means  which  God  has 
provided,  ineffectual  to  our  good.  Every  day’s  expe- 
rience convinces  us  of  the  wisdom  and  mercy  of  the 
command,  Work  out  your  own  salvation  with  fear 
and  trembling and  the  blessedness  of  the  promise, 

for  it  is  God  that  worketh  in  you  both  to  will  and  to 
do  of  his  good  pleasure.”  And  if  any  one  will  keep 
his  eye  fixed  on  the  manner  in  which  God  has  brought 
him  so  far  on  his  way  to  heaven,  or  the  manner  in 
which  God  reforms  some  of  his  servants,  advances 
others,  and  prepares  us  all ; he  will  discover  that  God 
does  work  in  us. 

Mary  Adams  was  the  daughter  of  disreputable 
parents,  who  lived  in  the  suburbs  of  a large  town,  and 
she  went  out  to  service  to  avoid  the  defilements  of  her 
home,  and  she  became  God’s  servant,  in  heart  as  well 
as  outwardly ; but  she  was  careless  and  playful,  and  in 
an  hour  of  sport  she  received  a blow  from  a fellow 
servant,  which  ended  in  producing  the  cancer  of  which 
she  died.  When  she  was  sent  home  to  the  house  from 
which  she  had  escaped,  she  was  compelled  to  become 
once  more  the  involuntary  companion  of  the  vile  and 
reprobate,  to  hear  language,  and  to  witness  scenes 
which  her  very  soul  abhorred.  She  was  unable  to  do 
any  thing  for  herself,  and  was  forced  to  receive  assist- 
ance from  her  sisters,  whose  daily  conduct  was  a grief 
and  shame  to  their  dying  relative  ; though  her  family 
all  treated  her  with  as  much  kindness  as  they  were 


THE  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  FORWARD. 


137 


capable  of.  There  was  no  one  to  whom  she  could 
speak  with  comfort,  excepting  the  clergyman  of  the 
parish,  to  whom,  in  her  misery,  the  wretched  mother 
had  recourse ; he,  while  poor  Mary  lived,  was  constant 
in  his  visits,  and  witnessed  the  rapid  growth  in  grace 
which  took  place  in  the  soul  of  this  afflicted  servant  of 
a crucified  Redeemer.  Her  faith  and  hopes  were  strong, 
and  she  lived  to  thank  God  with  apparent  warmth  and 
sincerity,  for  the  medicine  with  which  she  believed  that 
he  was  cleansing  her  heart,  and  preparing  her  for 
heaven.  If  I had  gone  on  in  service,  sir,  said  she  one 
day,  who  can  say  that  I might  not  have  again  become 
careless  as  to  the  state  of  my  soul  ? The  rude  sport  in 
which  I was  engaged  when  I received  the  blow,  was  as 
far  as  I know,  innocent ; but  who  can  say  that  it  might 
not  have  led  to  guilt } God  knew  how  weak  I am,  and 
he  has  saved  me  from  future  dangers ; and  if  my  path 
be  painful,  it  is  at  least  a narrow  and  a straight  path. 
I can  generally  bear  it  pretty  well,  and  when  I give 
way  through  agony,  he  who  sent  the  pang  will  pardon 
the  want  of  patience.  Even  our  Lord  cried  out,  My 
God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  And  per- 
haps these  very  tears  and  sobs,  from  which  I cannot 
always  abstain,  may  be  intended  to  do  good  to  those 
who  see  and  hear  them.  Ah,  sir ! do  all  you  can,  to 
bring  my  poor  relations  to  a better  state  ! ! and  I often 
think  that  God  may  be  pleased  to  do  good  to  some 
of  them,  through  the  sufferings  which  they  witness  in 
me  ; perhaps  he  may,  and  what  a comfort  it  would  be 
to  die  with  such  a hope,  that  a sister  or  a brother, 
or  a parent,  may  be  led  to  think  of  their  poor  souls, 
12* 


]38 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


through  the  mercy  which  God  shows  to  me.  I often 
tell  them,  sir,  that  I have  deserved  more,  and  when 
they  talk  of  the  hardness  of  my  being  afflicted,  while 
they  escape,  I try  to  convince  them  that  they  will  not 
escape.  Do  pray,  sir,  that  God  may  have  mercy  on 
them.  And  thus  the'hope  that  God  would  have  mercy 
on  those  sinful  relatives,  supported  the  soul  of  a maid- 
servant, under  torments  so  great,  that  they  almost  daily 
interrupted  her  fervent  prayers ; and  she  who  was  again 
and  again  forced  to  say,  “ Do  wait  a little,  I shall  be 
able  to  pray  again  in  a few  minutes,” — I beg  your 
pardon,  sir,  I cannot  go  on  now,  I am  in  so  much  pain,” 
— she  was  comforted  and  supported  by  the  hope  of  en- 
joying that  delight,  which  our  Saviour  spoke  of,  when 
he  said,  There  is  joy  in  the  presence  of  the  angels  of 
God,  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth.”  God  suited  his 
dispensations  to  the  need  of  this  poor  young  woman, 
and  the  seed  was  sown  in  good  ground,  and  brought 
forth  many  fold.  God’s  dispensations  are  always  suited 
to  us,  but  we  do  not  always  receive  them  as  she  did. 
And  the  prudent  Christian,  in  looking  forward  to  his 
own  progress  in  grace,  will  strive  to  prepare  himself 
for  the  dispensations  which  God  may  send,  by  adopting 
those  general  rules  which  our  holy  religion  suggests. 
He  will  watch  and  pray.  Watch,  lest  any  want  of 
caution  on  his  own  part,  should  destroy  the  seed  sown 
b}^  the  mercy  of  Heaven : and  pray  that  the  Almighty 
would  suit  his  graces  and  dispensations  to  our  wants 
and  necessities.  His  earnest  endeavour  will  be,  that  he 
may  continue  steadily  to  employ  every  human  means — 
that  his  mind  may  never  be  turned  away  from  the 


THE  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  FORWARD, 


139 


desire  after  holiness,  and  the  adoption  of  every  method 
by  which  God  has  pointed  out  to  his  creatures  the 
way  to  their  advancement  in  holiness.  But  his  prayer 
and  his  hope  will  be,  that  God  may  work  in  him  not 
only  to  will,  but  to  do.  He  will  say,  perhaps,  to  him- 
self, With  man  it  is  impossible — but  with  God  all 
things  are  possible.”  I have  so  often  tried  and  failed, 
that  for  myself,  it  is  impossible  that  I should  ever  be 
fit  for  the  presence  of  just  men  made  perfect,  and  of 
the  saints  in  glory,  and  of  Christ  himself.  But  God 
can  make  me  fit.  And  God  does  make  us  fit.  The 
last  sickness  of  many  a Christian  is  rendered  blessed 
by  a rapid  growth  in  grace,  particularly  when  there  is 
much  suffering  borne  with  Christian  patience.  The 
impatient  naan  prays  that  he  may  be  enabled  to  conquer 
his  want  of  kindness  to  those  whom  he  has  previously 
treated  with  less  tenderness  than  they  deserved ; and 
God  lays  him  on  a bed  of  anguish,  and  these  relatives 
become  the  gentle  nurses  of  his  dying  hours,  and  his 
sufferings  are  cheered  by  their  continued  attentions ; 
and  he  thanks  them,  and  does  get  the  better  of  that 
which  had  been  his  fault  towards  them ; and  they,  in 
the  performance  of  a painful  duty,  are  themselves  sanc- 
tified. How  many  a young  person  has  found  a con- 
sumptive death  to  be  the  quiet  gate  of  everlasting  bliss. 
We  must  be  careful  not  to  mistake  that  softening  of  the 
mind  which  proceeds  from  the  body,  for  the  working 
of  the  grace  of  God  ; but  they  who  have  attended  death- 
beds, know  the  progress  in  holy  acquiescence  to  the  will 
of  God,  which  frequently  displays  itself  in  the  later 
periods  of  those  who  are  d3fing  of  consumption.  Not 


140 


WHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY  ? 


long  before  her  death,  Euphemia  addressed  her  mother 
and  the  clergyman  of  the  parish,  in  the  following  terms : 

When  I was  first  aware  that  my  disorder  was  dan- 
gerous, I grieved  at  the  thought  of  leaving  a world  in 
which  I had  so  much  to  hope  for,  and  in  which  I had 
anticipated  so  much  of  enjoyment.  To  quit,  at  an  early 
age,  parents  and  kindred,  and  to  give  up  the  prospect 
of  a connection  which  ‘seemed  to  promise  every  thing 
which  earth  can  give,  did  seem  hard,  and  God  forgive 
me  for  feeling,  as  I confess  I felt ; but  he  has  dealt  with 
me  graciously,  and  not  given  me  over  to  my  own  foolish 
thoughts,  and  I have  gradually  learnt  to  acquiesce  in 
his  dispensations,  and  to  see  their  wisdom,  and  to  rejoice 
in  them.  I would  not  have  it  otherwise  than  it  is. 
Doubtless  I am  not  only  more  fit  to  die  than  I was,  but 
am  more  fit  than  I should  have  been  if  1 had  shared 
those  comforts  to  which  I looked  forward.  Sure  am 
I,  that  all  is  done  in  mercy,  and  that  I am  taken  from 
earthly  trials  because  I am  not  equal  to  pass  through 
them  safely.  He  has  taught  me  the  blessedness  of 
those  who  mourn,  and  even  before  I fly  away  and  am 
at  peace,  I have  received  comfort  such  as  earth  cannot 
give,  and  which  1 trust  that  God  will  suffer  nothing  to 
take  away.” 

There  is  a theory,  that  as  soon  as  in  our  earthly 
course,  we  are  either  hopeless  as  to  reform,  or  fitted 
for  heaven — God  takes  us  from  this  scene  of  trial 
The  bad  are  cut  off,  lest  they  should  incur  a more 
dreadful  weight  of  guilt.  The  good  are  gathered  into 
the  garner  of  heaven,  and  are  at  rest.  We  who  are 
still  exposed  to  temptations,  and  must  bear  the  load  of 


THE  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  FORWARD. 


141 


this  world’s  labour  and  affliction,  are  not  yet  worthy 
of  our  being  admitted  into  the  joy  of  our  Lord — not 
yet  suited  to  so  high  a privilege  and  gift.  God  might 
fit  us  for  this  blessed  state  by  the  fiat  of  his  Almighty 
word.  He  created  Adam  in  all  the  beauty  and  per- 
fection of  manhood.  He  exalted  Enoch  at  once  to  a 
better  place.  But  we  have  passed  through  the  weak- 
ness of  childhood,  the  dangers  of  youth,  the  toils  of 
manhood,  and  have  been  thus  prepared  to  fulfil  the 
duties  of  that  station  to  which  it  has  pleased  God  to 
call  us  ; and  why  may  we  not  expect  the  same  steps  in 
our  spiritual  life  ^ When  the  seed  is  sown  in  the  best 
soil,  there  must  be  first  the  blade,  then  the  ear,  then 
the  full  corn  in  the  ear.  And  if  God  is  pleased  to 
continue  you  and  me,  dear  reader,  in  this  state  of 
trouble,  why  may  we  not  hope  that  it  is  for  our  sanc- 
tification ? That  which  we  can  do,  will  in  no  way 
tend  to  buy  off  our  guilt,  or  to  purchase  the  favour  of 
our  Maker,  but  he  may  of  his  goodness  employ  our 
exertions  for  the  good  of  others,  and  for  the  improve- 
ment of  ourselves.  Humanly  speaking,  we  owe  our 
conversion  to  Christianity,  as  a nation,  to  the  labours 
of  the  Apostles  ; and  who,  in  reading  the  acts  of  those 
holy  men,  can  doubt,  that  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul  were 
purified  and  prepared  for  heaven  while  engaged  in  this 
work  of  the  Lord.  It  may  seem  presumption,  that 
sinners,  such  as  we  are,  should  dare  to  compare  our- 
selves in  any  manner  to  those  blessed  instruments  of 
good,  whom  we  so  justly  honour  as  the  benefactors  of 
the  human  race  ; but  the  same  God,  who  is  rich  in 
mercy  to  all  who  call  upon  him,  may  vouchsafe  to 


142 


\VHAT  IS  CHRISTIANITY? 


bestow  a small  portion  of  the  same  heavenly  blessing 
on  us,  who  are  so  little  worthy  of  it.  In  the  case  of 
St.  Paul,  to  live,”  was  to  continue  in  the  service  of 
Christ,  and  to  die  was  gain.”  He  had  a desire  to 
depart  and  to  be  with  Christ,  nevertheless,  to  abide 
in  the  flesh  was  more  needful  for  man.”  To  us,  pro- 
bably there  may  be  ties  which  still  bind  us  to  earth ; 
there  may  be  duties  and  fields  of  usefulness  which 
may  enable  us  to  hope,  that  our  stay  on  earth  may  be 
beneficial  to  some  of  those  who  are  connected  with  us : 
and  conscious  of  our  own  present  defects,  we  may 
hope,  that  while  we  stay  in  the  flesh,  we  may  still  be 
growing  in  the  spirit.  That  the  grace  of  God  may  be 
softening  our  hearts,  and  leading  us  to  a closer  con- 
formity to  the  blessed  example  of  our  Saviour.  But 
our  hope  is  built  on  what  shall  be  done  for  us,  and  not 
on  anything  which  we  can  do  ourselves.  And  we  may 
daily  pray,  that  He  who  can,  alone,  order  the  unruly 
wills  and  affections  of  sinful  men,  may  so  guide  every- 
thing belonging  to  us,  that  all  shall  work  together  for 
our  good.  That  the  changes  and  chances  of  this 
mortal  life  may  be  so  ordered,  as  best  to  promote  our 
spiritual  improvement ; and  that  we  may  have  grace 
to  adopt  such  regulations  with  regard  to  ourselves,  as 
shall  best  tend  to  make  us  ready  for  a state  of  glory. 
But  we  shall  come  to  the  contest,  trusting  in  what 
God  shall  do  for  us.  We  may  choose  the  smoothest 
pebbles,  and  fit  them  with  most  prudent  care  to  the 
sling  with  which  we  have  armed  ourselves,  but  when 
we  advance  to  the  contest,  it  shall  be  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  God  of  hosts,  and  our  watch-word  and  our 


THE  CHRISTIAN  LOOKING  FORWARD. 


143 


prayer  shall  be,  may  God  work  in  us  both  to  will  and 
to  do  of  his  good  pleasure. 


O Lord,  raise  up  (we  pray  Thee)  thy  power,  and 
come  among  us,  and  with  great  might  succour  us  ; that 
whereas,  through  our  sin  and  wickedness,  we  are  sore 
let  and  hindered  in  running  the  race  that  is  set  before 
us,  thy  bountiful  grace  and  mercy  may  speedily  help 
and  deliver  us  ; through  the  satisfaction  of  thy  Son 
our  Lord,  to  whom,  with  Thee  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  be 
honour  and  glory,  world  without  end.  Amen. 


